welcome. everything I write here is something I felt to be important to some degree; game reviews, life updates/vents, and philosophical musings. I do my best to make my statements truthful. everyone is welcome to post comments, provided they are relevant.

12.23.2004

iii'll be gooone for chriistmaaaaaas

going to toronto to see family. gad, it's really been ages since i've seen most of it. i mean, them. i don't really think of them as peons i happen to be related to... hah, hehe, yeah. i'll be there for about a week, and not likely to see much computer time, but I am bringing the PS2, and the GBA of course. mom's bribing me to sing with my aunt's church choir, so i might decide to enjoy myself, hehe. seriously, they probably Need my voice, unless they actually practice singing well, and not just practice yodelling atonally. if it's just a bunch of people who've decided to sing just because 'tis the season, then we're hosed. or I'm hosed, as i'm usually the only one who cares.

chocolate is good. i'm brining some of that. it stays hidden. I might share the almonds. no 4.5kg toblerone, but i did get 2 750g bars.

12.20.2004

charby the vampirate

if you're going to read a webcomic, read this one.

BT - Somnambulist

i've been listening to this one song for the past hour, on repeat. I'm still not quite tired of it, but getting there i think. I likes it.

12.07.2004

it is my birthday, and I am 21.

two new games: Jak 3 and Evil Genius

neither were surprises, because mom bought them with me yesterday. Evil genius looks a lot like Dungeon Keeper, but more sexy. Well, that might be going a bit far, but we'll see.

and I was surprised by the BT album, because we were looking for it but it wasn't at Best Buy. I'm guessimg mom popped by CD Warehouse after the post office.

11.22.2004

strange updates

the order of the last few posts is messed up... the info about gifts was earlier, then i mentioned oma, then i mentioned the change of plan. weird, eh? it's probably because the time of the post was automatically changed when i edited them.
my mom's mother is dying as of this posting. she had signed a DNR, but the doctors didn't get the memo before they resuscitated her. she's on a steady decline now, so we're off to toronto. I may be gone for the week, but if I can I'll come home by train.

I'm going to miss the WoW release.... *sniff*
change of plans, I'm not going. I have a one-a-week class that I'd miss, so it's no good. oh well.
attention family members, specifically those with my name on their gift list.

please note the links available on the right side of the blogs, underneath the profile info. the IGN collection tracker shows all the games I already have. If you go to that site and click on the Wishlist tab, you will see a list of all the games I would love and appreciate in my collection. Unfortunately, it does not include prices, and it is an American site.

items 2-4, 8 and 12 are moderately high-price, around $60+, since they are popular and new. Items 6 and 7 are not quite as expensive, because they are for the Gameboy Advance. Anything unranked is likely cheap if you can find it; such gifts would be well appreciated since they are more likely found on eBay, or require a keen eye on the used games sections.

p.s. I know a lot of you haven't seen me in a while, so remember that I am going to be over 21... the only "inappropriate" things you can get me are toys targeted at girls, or tacky clothing. I certainly wouldn't mind samples of alcohol...

11.20.2004

well, you can completely disregard my previous post, because Blizzard is doing a complete wipe of the servers, including all character data. I hear the end of the world was quite spectacular.

Metroid pwns me.

I've been playing Fusion and Zero Mission for a few days now, and they're pretty awesome. Metroids are alien life-forms that feed directly on the life force of living organisms, and are being sought after by an alien race called the Space Pirates as a potential weapon. Zero mission, from what I understand, is a remake of the first Metroid game, and the main character Samus' first adventure. Fusion is essentially Metroid 4, and begins with Samus being infected by something dubbed X, which destroys and mimicks its hosts, and which Metroids used to be the primary predator of. The Metroid-based vaccine used on you gives you the ability to absorb X, but extreme alterations were made to the suit when the X was being removed, and the Metroid vaccine is sensitive to cold. What I love and hate in this game, though, is that the parts of your original suit that were infected by X turn up as a mimic of you... at full power. it's quite something to suddenly run into yourself and have to run like hell. I've gotten pretty far, but I image i've missed quite a bit, and I'm focusing on Zero for a bit.

p.s. they're only rentals right now, I'm still musing over purchasing them. Spyro Orange is a piece of shit.

11.14.2004

SO, i have a few characters in WoW with some kind of progress.

Server 2, Eastern Time Zone

Snowy, Tauren Warrior, level 14
he's getting pretty good at leatherworking and skinning, and an awesome fisherman. can make 6 slot kodo skin bags. currently getting lost in Orgrimmar.

Calkurian, Night Elf Druid, level 7
still getting started in the area.

Ringe, Gnome Warlock, level 7
also just getting started.

Server 15, Central Time Zone

Marlyna, Human Warlock, level 11
she's gotten the hang of her new Voidwalker, and is heading west from Goldshire. is getting good at harvesting herbs and making brews, like armor, strength, and regeneration potions. doesn't know where to harvest ingredients for mana or rejuvenation, though available in Stormwind. the underground transit system is nifty.

11.12.2004

I've been told to update my blog. Since World of Warcraft seems to be having server problems, I guess I will.

Things suck. the security job seems to be having several adverse effects on my mind, and probably my body. having to work +12 hour shifts 4 in a row might be predisposing me towards doing absolutely nothing when I'm not "at work" because that's pretty much what I do when "at work", except for a few times where I walk around a bit. I've noticed that I'd rather wander the house than, say, eat or clean my room. also, not being able to acquire food while at work has me eating large meals near the beginning of the shift (mostly as an excuse, but whatever) because i don't really don't want to prepare 3 meals ahead of time for WORK. it's just wrong i say.

It does not help that my one night a week class, where i only have 3 hours of class, gives me homework that takes a not insignificant portion of time. although i could probably get it done in a day, my mind no longer has any idea what "day" means. anyway, the class just has me making a 3D character in 3Ds MAX 6 (which gave me serious grief in the aquisition) that looks mostly like the sketches I'm given. again, my mind has lost its grip on time, so thinking about how long it takes to do stuff makes me a bit dizzy. so i'll stop thinking about it.

World of Warcraft is in open beta. for those who have no idea what I'm taking about, WoW is a game that has massively multiplayer online role-playing. this is shortened into MMORPG. its story is based on the events and characters of the Warcraft real-time strategy game. anyway, it is my opinion that this game is incredibly awesome. however, since it's an open beta, anyone (within a certain ungodly large limit which has already been reached) is able to join and make the servers beg for mercy. which they do with reckless abandon. so there's me, trying to make a name for myself as a level 14 Tauren warrior, or play with my friends as a Human, and this wave of n00bs is storming in (I think I'll call it the Storm of Souls), picking the servers closest to the number 1 or the top of the server list, and making everything choke for the people who are already there. You can't change the server your character is on. You can start your characters on low-traffic servers. it's not like you're going to get anywhere before you get tired of your character and start a female, probably night elf, strip her to her underwear and make her dance in front of the rest of the newbies (which includes people already with real characters and don't really need to see this shit AGAIN). I really hope Blizzard is learning something from our torture, and the retail turns out to be the brilliant gem I'm betting it will be. and it is a bet, since I'll be getting the collector's edition. I'm still trying to decide which pet I want.

a note about the webcomics, Dominic Deegan is not game related, but i like it. Ctrl+Alt+Del is a gaming comic, but the newbies really haven't been that bad... at least not that I've seen. there's always some.

9.21.2004

Culling the herd

My PS2 collection depresses me. It must be cleansed.

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Alter Echo
MDK2 Armageddon
Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex
Haven: Call of the King
I-Ninja
Devil May Cry
Enter the Matrix
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
Dark Cloud
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
Armored Core 2
Kinetica
State of Emergency

I think I mentioned that I bought a new used PS2 because mine was an older model with disc read problems that can't really be fixed. It came with ATV Offroad Fury 2, but it didn't survive its previous owner and won't load.

9.20.2004

it's a fucking catastrophe.

I can't bring myself to load about 80% of my playstation games, for the simple purpose of playing them. the RPGs take too much planning, the action games take too much trial and error (aside from my plain sucking), and the platform games are all completed with the exception of the lame parts like time attacks, or anything less than perfect means failure in a single run. i look at the titles, and i see work instead of entertainment.

DAMN YOU, WORLD OF WARCRAFT STRESS TEST!!!!

9.07.2004

I've recently been told that EB is full of hot air. either way, those games are a disgrace to my game collection and must be removed one way or another. besides, their website only excludes state of emergency for trade-ins. if i have to trade in the other four, so be it.

but a bit of extra price research would be prudent.

9.06.2004

too tired to bother fixing typos, so don't correct me unless it's for improper use of a word or phrase. and send me an e-mail - I won't see/remember any IRC messages
So I saw at electronics boutique that i can trade 3 games for GTA San Andreas (it was a PS2 box, so i assume it's like-for-like or something) and after a brief look at my collection, 5 titles stand out:

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
this was a decent enough game - FOR A N00B. not only is it ridiculously easy, it's ridiculous entirely. you play a tasmanian tiger who uses boomerangs as a weapon, which is not itself entirely ridiculous, considering the inevitable ridiculousness of the game... it's the ridiculous variety of boomerangs you can have that get to me. all the characters have an australian accent and the lingo to go with it, which is a nice touch. probably the only nice touch though. can you believe this is an EA game?

you just know I can go on about any one of these games, so i'll try to keep them short. ish.

State of Emergency
This was mostly about breaking stuff. Or so i thought. aside from that one redeeming quality, missions involve protecting individuals too stupid to cover their own asses (like yourself), usually against a plethora of enemies with alot more firepower than you and some suicide bombers. the music selection on the PS2 is lacking, which i realise because i first played it on an xbox with some trebble charger like stuff playing which made it that much more kick ass. of course there are codes, but in the end it doesn't really matter because there's nothing else to do.

Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
this is one of the first games i bought, influenced by the Gauntlet game I played on N64. This one has twice the fun and is more like the arcade, or so i'm told. but I don't listen to half of what the guy who told me tells me because about that much of it is hot air. sometimes it's not, so i have to listen to the whole thing or else suffer grife about how i don't listen to him. ANYWAY, it's very basic move around kill hordes of monsters with your silly and inexplicable (with exceptions) ranged attacks and kill bosses unlock levels and stuff. highly repeatitive, but unique classic none-the-less.

Dark Cloud
this is in fact the first game i bought for my PS2. I was lured by the cover thinking it might be like the legends of zelda for the console I don't have. I was, as i discovered, painfully wrong. from what i can tell, it's an early attempt at adventure-rpg, excepth that the weapons get the power upgrades and your vitality is determined by how many hidden gold apples and snacks you eat. well, it was endurable, it had its perks and quirks, but when i try to pick it up where i left off (after beating the game where a new dungeon with more levels than the story has filled with monsters who kill whenever they twitch) I just don't understand how i could have put up with it. especially since Dark Cloud 2 is so much better. but that has its flaws too, believe you me.

Devil May Cry
what can I say? it's an action game, which has never been my bag of tricks. i can beat this game with Easy-Auto, but from what I hear the real fun is in normal. However, the bosses seem to have more fun than me, what with my ass getting burned on the first boss. I could probably get the hang of it eventually, but I have so many other unfinished games that I hope to "get the hang of" and this one is at the bottom of the waiting list. and it's old.

well, if anyone feels that i should Not depart with one of these classic pieces of compact disc, let me know before I decide your opinions don't actually matter. well, they don't, but i'm giving the few people in the area who deign to read my website a chance to salvage their own piece of past PS2 posterity. everyone else can kiss my posterior, unless they have $15 canadian +s&h for me.

8.26.2004

8.23.2004

i feel kinda disappointed when i don't have e-mail in my gmail. it's kinda my fault for being so paranoid about it though, which is silly because of all the spam protection. the only reason i'd not use it is because of automatic email harvesters. it's basically my address, but without the 83, and it's gmail. i know there are certain character codes you can use, but they can't be used on everything, and i'm sure some harvesters have caught on. it's just silly paranoia.

evil spam. i don't care that I have a spam filter! just getting spam AT ALL irritates me! it makes the e-mail address seem tainted.
you know, i thought the lyrics were "Let's get it started!"

and then i heard it after 11pm. (the site has the least ads of the few i bothered looking at)

The strange thing is that I think the other one sounds better. i'm in it for the music after all. it's a bonus if the lyrics happen to make sense and fit the music.

8.22.2004

i'm wondering if i should start using a new alias;

fat cactuar

why? because it more accurately describes me now than my current alias, which a) reflected my desire for a doctorate of some kind and b) sounded clever with my liking of hot sauce. ya know, DocTabasco. the new alias reflects that i'm a) fat, b) prickly (lotsa hair) and c) obsessed enough with video games to use a monster from the Final Fantasy series in my alias.

8.16.2004

there's about 4 games i want to play right now
Maximo vs Army of Zin
Final Fantasy VII
Homeworld
Megaman Zero 2

as you may have noticed, none of them are Dr. Muto. this is how things usually are when i feel like i'm in a slump. I don't know what the slump is, but it has definite slump qualities; i'm pining for money, sipping a bit more baileys than usual, and i'm just a wee bit lonely. aside from that, i'm just an average loser... no wait, those actually make me an average loser...

and i still can't decide what to play.

8.08.2004

i need moneys bad

i really need a laptop. lately i've been feeling that i really need to write something. I've been getting a lot of reading done lately... mostly because of the increase in shifts. both are good things. however, books can only do so much to curb the boredom of the shifts, and gameboy games don't burn enough hours, or do a very good job of entertaining... or at least the one's i've tried. so many dreams lately, too. i dreamed about being at hogwarts, or some other magic school, except i'd returned after a long absence, and was just going to get administrations cleaned up and settle in, and then there's a disturbance in the main hall that i get in the middle of, but it feels like i can't do anything, but i'm not worried either.

too much anime. i've been watching love hina via desync.com. and i have a shift at 2pm today... until 3 no less. and now i can't sleep? i was tired enough to stop watching love hina. my adrenaline must be keeping me awake now. this bites. making too many typos too, but i seem to be catching them...

7.22.2004

I've been helping a group of people new to Dr. Muto on the GameFAQs message board.  apparently, they collectively recommend, buy, and play games as a group, or at least try to.  I should consider joining this activity.  in any case, my complete knowledge of the game has proven invaluable to at least two of these people, Old Lady and Sadieanne.  I gotta say, they're quite amusing.  helping them has been largely satisfying, and a nice pick-me-up for my ego.

I just noticed, that Blogger has offered me a Gmail account.  I am so there.  doesn't matter what it's like, it's a new e-mail, and one that sounds cooler than doctabasco83@rogers.com. don't worry, I'll still be checking e-mail from that account for a while yet.

7.01.2004

so, my semester's pretty much over. 3 courses down, 4 to go. I had signed up for all 7 of the 3D game animation courses, but one got cancelled, I dropped another after that to attend a wedding (the reception was good - I went to see Chronicles of Riddick) and the last 2 modelling courses had no patronage. next semester then. If you're looking for files I had hosted for single camera video production, you're s.o.l.

5.12.2004

To all the people I meet during the courses I'm taking at Algonquin;

Hi, my name's Chris Young. I'm attending Algonquin for the 3D Game Animation certificate. My personal interest in video games probably started around the age of 4, when my dad had a Commodore 64 and Amiga. I've since grown up to be an average geek, with a great confidence in my ability to navigate a computer. My musical background dates just as far, as both my parents are avid singers. I went to the Canterbury Arts High School in the Vocal Music program, where I excelled in performance and ear-training. However, I hit a rough spot in grade 11 where my marks in music history and theory slipped below the acceptable level. I finished high school in an alternative program that allows students to complete courses one-at-a-time, and managed a pass in OAC English.

One of my favourite courses in high school was Communications Technology, where we learned the art of audio and video production at a rudimentary level. This course inspired me to become and audio technician or engineer, in addition to instilling a general hatred towards commercials. However, I missed the sign-up deadline for Radio Broadcasting at the time, and my mother insisted I take another program for the summer. I made the mistake of taking Electro-Mechanical Engineering: Robotics, and got so bored with the subject that I didn't think to withdraw before the deadline for that. From then on, I was pretty much on my own for paying my way through college. However, my parents are still letting me sleep in their house and eat their food, as well as a few other luxuries; so I have nothing to complain about, though I always do.

While working at Radio Shack, I thought I might try my hand at writing a game walkthrough. For those who don't know, a game walkthrough is essentially text-based instructions of how to complete a game. I had two reasons for this; the game I was writing for, Dr. Muto, is tricky to get a 100% score, so I wanted to help people help me by describing what I had accomplished already; also, I've heard there's money in writing proffesional walkthroughs, so I might as well start somewhere.

Anyway, a few months after completing this walkthrough, I recieved e-mails from people who were actually on the production team for Dr. Muto, with information about some glitches that we had observed and codes that no-one had discovered.

The most important of these was teh one I got from the senior producer of the production admiring the work I had done on the walkthrough, and he asked if I was interested in game design or testing. I replied with great thanks and asked about an internship at EA Games (his employer at the time) and he told me to send him my resume. Two things prevented my internship; all the offices are way to far from here, and I don't have any resume-worthy game design experience.

From there, I went to the IGDA and found a list of schools with appropriate programs for the inustry of game design. I noticed the Algonquin certificate program, but decided it was nothing compared to what the IGDA was offering and promptly forgot about it. After an informative visit to the IGDA, I learned that I didn't have nearly enough money, and went back to earning small ammounts of money for myself. By this time I'm a security guard making $7.50/h with under 30h/week on average.

Then, one fateful day, about a month ago I guess, the Source came as usual, and I decided to take a look. Then I saw the 3D Game Animation certificate. I think I spoke of this in an earlier post. Anyway, that's about it for back-story.

My personal interests are mainly video games and music, but mostly video games. Lately, however, my electronics have been breaking down on me. My stereo doesn't give sound to the right speaker, my PS2 doesn't read blue discs and is easily affected by heat, and my computer was acting up on me. The PC is mostly okay now that I have Windows XP, but it didn't help that I had WinME, which is largely regarded as a mistake on Microsoft's part.

I don't get out much, and I certainly don't talk much, as you've probably noticed, but where facts are concerned I like to speak up. Well, it's not so much the talking as much as actually starting a conversation. You can tell that I have plenty to say just by reading this page. Anyway, I think I've exhausted my need for conversation now, so I'll leave the rest for some other time. I'll be seeing you then.

5.04.2004

okay, so I'm still employed. after reviewing my schedule, it seems there's going to be a lot of time for me to do something along the lines of getting paid for crappy shifts. Single Camera Video Production starts today at 7pm, but I'll be looking forward to the PhotoShop course this weekend, as it gives me a legitimate reason to get out of a particularly crappy shift I was going to do.

4.04.2004

Why do I bother with a blog? It's not like I update it with any frequency, and I don't exactly expect people to read it. But, as long as I remember it exists, I might as well keep posting.

So apparently the secretary at the security office thought when I said "either I need more hours, or I need another job" that I actually meant to say "I wish to teminate my employment, so don't bother giving me any work, k?" I was only privvy to this mistake a month later when I received a record of employment. (fyi, that's what they gives you when you quit. or something. my mom knows that stuff) Anyway, I'm finally getting some work, but the job still sucks and I have no hits on ottawajobshop.ca or monster.ca so things still suck. then my mom starts talking to me again about finding a course i could enroll in again, and coincidentally, the Algonquin College "Source" arrives this morning, so I decide to check things out. There's only one full-time program that sort-of interests me, but it's one of those things where there's one half i'd really enjoy but another half I'd completely dread. So then I stumple upon the "continuing education" section and I re-discover the 3D Game Design program I neglected when looking for a decent game design program. And of course mom is watching what I'm doing because I should have been cleaning my room and she says "ya know, you actually have that much money in savings" and I'm like "oh yeah!" because I'm always so bummed about having almost nothing in my chequing account that I forgot about the money my parents demand I fork over to prove I'm not so much a lazy bum, which is actually the "learn more and get a decent job so you can get the hell out of our house" fund.

So my mom guarantees that she'll keep feeding me and not kicking me out if I try all the courses in one go, or take most of them and keep my job. Guess which one I pick? courses start in May.

2.27.2004

Snorkeling was fun. The underwater camera I used was less than great though, because most of my shots were blurred or faded. I really recommend it, it's a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Some people prefer it over scuba diving, but they're usually good swimmers. That and the equipment can be a real hassle. Food was ok, but not enough for picky people like me. Can choosers be beggars?
Oh man, did the first day of my trip SUCK. Here's a copy/paste of the file I sent to the travel agent, who's going to wrench some compensation out of the hotel.

-begin-
Feb. 15, 2004
After landing in Punta Cana, My sister (Jennifer Young), her boyfriend (Robert Chalmers), and myself were told by the Air Transat representative in the airport exit that there was a "change" and instructed to board a bus (a large tour bus with a "3" in the front window). On the bus, we were told by a different representative that our hotel had been changed. We were worried at this point, because our reservation was made specifically so that we could join our parents for their last week of vacation, celebrating my mom's 50th birthday. We were told that they would sort things out when we reached Casa del Campo, being told that Jean Chretien usually visits there. When we eventually did get there, it took a long time after passing the entrance before someone informed us that the facilities of the hotel were far apart, at which point everyone on the bus became more agitated. When we finally stopped in some kind of parking lot, we were told to wait, then get off the bus, and then wait some more. The sun was setting around this time. We were, apparently, to take some other bus somewhere, but when nothing arrived we were told of a restaurant a few minutes walk from the bus. At the time, it was suggested that we leave our luggage at the bus, but no-one agreed to that and everyone took their luggage to the restaurant. The restaurant served a very small buffet which appeared more like left-overs than a buffet. I eat a small variety of food, so I only ate bread and juice. After hours of waiting, I knew the situation was this: the hotel we were at refused to accomodate us, all other hotels in Punta Cana were full, and we were to bus to Santo Domingo. Before leaving, we finally contacted our parents, who were at Ocean Bavaro, with the assistance of an Ocean Bavaro employee. After more waiting and a 3 hour bus ride, we stayed at a hotel in Santo Domingo (a hotel with the big diamond on the sign).

We were told to meet with an Air Transat representative in the lobby at 11:00am (local time). We waited there for another 1 - 2 hours until someone in the group contacted an Air Transat representative, and took some degree of control. A bus arrived at the hotel, but there seemed to be some confusion as to who it was for, and where it was going. My sister, Jen, started asking when and if we were going to meet our parents. I simply waited, since I trusted my sister to figure out the details. We finally determined that the bus was to go back to Punta Cana to send most of the group to a hotel very close to Ocean Bavaro, and a taxi would take us the rest of the way. Apparently, 2 other people were in a similar situation to ours, that is they were supposed to be with other people at Ocean Bavaro. We then eventually arrived at Ocean Bavaro around 6pm, more than 24 hours late, and our parents greeted us at the entrance.

I had paid the full single rate to have a room to myself. We were told that they wanted to put all five of us in a 2 room suite but my parents told them that we had paid for three separate rooms. Jen and Rob took the room that my parents were booked in, and my parents and I took room 9125. The room was fitted with a sofa-bed and a mattress, which I decided was adequate at the time because I was tired and did not wish to withstand any further frustrations. Over the course of my visit at the hotel, I became more aware of the faults present in the room. The thermostat did not efficiently maintain room temperature, and was at any time either too hot or too cold. The hot water was usually only slightly warm. The large tub was missing the hot water dial, and the tub's jets could not be activated. We managed to fix the cold water dial for use on both hot and cold water. The tub's drain plug was also not properly installed, and my parents needed to use a spoon to remove it. The shower in the large bathroom leaked large ammounts of water that did not always reach the emergency drain. The mattress I was in became increasingly uncomfortable, as it sank wherever I laid down and became too hot. The best comment I have for the room is that the Pepsi in the fridge was free and re-stocked every day, except for one day when there was just 7up, which I do not like at all.

That concludes the majority of grievances I have regarding my trip. Other comments on the hotel: there should be a list of activities available in the hotel room. All other hotels I have visited have hotel information available in the guest's room, including restaurant hours, facilities, and the time and place of special events. Most hotels list local attractions as well, so the guest has the option of exploring the area outside the hotel. I had thought that the pizza bar was open 24 hours, so I was surprised when I went to get pizza at 6pm and there was no pizza being served. A lot of teenagers like pizza for supper, and most of the restaurants did not serve anything I found appetizing.
-end-

The hotel looks nice, and the service is nice, but the administration must be retarded or something.

2.14.2004

slacker goes to Dominican Republic

why? why the fuck not? it's winter in Ottawa, and that's pretty cold, especially for anyone who hasn't lived here for 20 years. also there is valentines and my mom's birthday. she and slacker sr. are on a cruise, and i, along with my sister and her boyfriend, will meet them in punta cana in a day or so. I'll be there for a week too. I had to pay my mom $1500 (CDN), but i think that's just the room and all-inclusive hotel stuff, and she's paying the extra for me having my own room. (costs more to have one person in a two-person room.) I have no idea wether I'm going to enjoy it or not, but I want to visit that general area of latitude at some point in my life and I don't see why not do it now.

i need to pack. tah~

2.07.2004

To lazy to rant again, so here's a copy/paste of my IRC rant (EnterTheGame #prontera.net)

[15:41] (Astatine) star trek the movie is a piece of crap
[16:00] (yuethomas) star trek the movie WHICH?
[16:40] (Astatine) yeah, star trek THE MOVIE
[16:40] (Astatine) the first one
[16:40] (Astatine) crazy 70s sci fi crap
[16:41] (Astatine) about as freaky as space odyssey 2001 (sp wtf)
[16:41] (Astatine) space oddity
[16:43] (Astatine) and don't forget close encounters of the 3rd kind
[16:43] (Astatine) teh movie
[16:47] (Astatine) khan trek was slightly better
[16:55] (Astatine) i swear, the entire storyline could be told in the span of a normal episode
[16:56] (Astatine) the majority was drawn-out footage of trippy visual effects and shitty models
[16:57] (Astatine) though the intro with spock on vulcan would be cut because kirk wasn't there, if it was an episode
[16:57] (Adrian) who are you talking to?
[16:57] (Astatine) umm.... uh, YOU!
[16:57] (Adrian) hehehe
[16:57] (Astatine) :P
[16:57] (Frosty|exam) he was talking to me
[16:57] (Astatine) it sucked
[16:57] (Adrian) im gonna grab some breakfast
[16:57] (Frosty|exam) ;D
[16:57] (Adrian) ah ok, just seemed funny, for 15minutes hes talking and nobody is responding
[16:58] (Frosty|exam) and yeah the thing here to note is
[16:58] (Frosty|exam) star trek is a one hour show
[16:58] (Frosty|exam) thats half a normal movie
[16:58] (Frosty|exam) so its hard to get away from that extended episode type feel
[16:58] (Astatine) yeah, iresist saying WTF y don u ppl respnd wtf!!!1
[16:58] (Adrian) how can they drag that crap on for an hour?
[16:58] (Adrian) each episode
[16:58] (Frosty|exam) lol
[16:58] (Frosty|exam) star trek TNG
[16:59] (Frosty|exam) 90 percent of the time theyre not fighting
[16:59] (Adrian) sounds exciting
[16:59] (Frosty|exam) you have to be a real nerd to like it
[16:59] (Astatine) THERE WAS NO FIGHTING in this movie
[16:59] (Astatine) soooo boooriiing
[16:59] (Frosty|exam) LOL
[16:59] (Frosty|exam) i watched first contact, the newer one i think
[16:59] (Frosty|exam) i havent watched any others
[16:59] (Astatine) i'm like, OK I GET THE POINT, THE INTRUDING VESSEL IS FUCKING HUGE
[17:00] (Frosty|exam) so im not like an authority or anything
[17:00] (Frosty|exam) lol
[17:00] (Astatine) LETS SEE SOME PLOT
[17:00] (Frosty|exam) most episodes its all plot
[17:00] (Adrian) the plot is: draw in huge nerds money
[17:00] (Astatine) first contact was ok
[17:00] (Frosty|exam) for some reason
[17:00] (Frosty|exam) making star trek movies still generates enough movies
[17:00] (Frosty|exam) er
[17:00] (Frosty|exam) revenue
[17:01] (Frosty|exam) to warrant making more of them
[17:01] (Astatine) yeah but the rest are ok
[17:01] (Astatine) this one was CRAP
[17:01] (Frosty|exam) its all about turnout... every star trek nerd in the country goes to see it 5 times
[17:01] (Frosty|exam) thats way better than like a thriller where you have no solid audience
[17:01] (Astatine) it's called amnesia i think
[17:01] (Frosty|exam) lol
[17:01] (Frosty|exam) no
[17:01] (Frosty|exam) its called
[17:02] (Frosty|exam) omg wtf that was so leet when picard owned the klingon with his 10 page speech
[17:02] (Adrian) it's called they need to be beamed back to reality
[17:02] (Frosty|exam) -_-
[17:02] (yuethomas) bleh.
[17:02] (yuethomas) nemesis was CRAP.
[17:02] (Astatine) nemesis was not as good as it could have been
[17:03] (Astatine) the only reason you should ever watch the first star trek movie is morbid fascination of how crappy it is
[17:04] (Astatine) fyi
[17:05] (Frosty|exam) well
[17:05] (Frosty|exam) it was made 20 years ago right
[17:06] (Frosty|exam) ive seen like bits and pieces of old star trek stuff
[17:06] (Frosty|exam) the models are absolutely hilarious
[17:06] (Frosty|exam) they suck so much
[17:07] (Frosty|exam) makes you wonder how star wars did it, their moves were released around the same time probably, but their models dont really look the part
[17:07] (Frosty|exam) *movies
[17:07] (Astatine) it's called good directing i think
[17:07] (Frosty|exam) lol, one thing at a time ;D
[17:08] (Astatine) as opposed to crap directing
[17:08] (Astatine) star wars was good
[17:08] (Astatine) i can't imagine how anyone can get worked up over a battlestar galactica space battle
[17:08] (Astatine) have you SEEN those?
[17:08] (Frosty|exam) lol
[17:08] (Astatine) MY GOD
[17:09] (Frosty|exam) ;)
[17:09] (Frosty|exam) its like something your 8 year old brothers might put on tape
[17:09] (Frosty|exam) gg
[17:09] (Astatine) ... i just can't describe the crap
[17:09] (Frosty|exam) sure you can
[17:09] (Frosty|exam) but probably without battlestar galactica
[17:09] (Astatine) i don't WANT to
[17:09] (Frosty|exam) there wouldnt have been much scifi
[17:09] (Frosty|exam) and then you wouldnt get good stuff
[17:10] (Frosty|exam) like say star wars and uh
[17:10] (Frosty|exam) hmm
[17:10] (Astatine) uhm
[17:10] (Astatine) i dunno
[17:10] (Frosty|exam) trying to think of some good scifi series
[17:10] (Frosty|exam) gg

2.01.2004

i just sent my PS2 for repair today, and already I am sad. at least the problem i was having gets me free repair.
I WANTS IT, my preciousssss...