http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:undergroundwalruss&section=today deviantART RSS for by:undergroundwalruss en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:26:27 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/28539431/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/28539431/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:55:43 PST Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'."


Tell me this isn't relevant.

P.S. You've got to make some of that change happen for yourself. I don't know if there are any LU students that read this shit anymore, but if there are, next Monday the SGA IS holding an open forum to discuss the Bates Proposal. Get yo' ass out there.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/28104533/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/28104533/ Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:20:54 PST
I'm a little out of my element here in this whole "planning a life for myself" thing, and that's put me behind. Plus... dude, Humans vs. Zombies. I've also joined a chess club and found that I actually royally suck at chess, attempted to blow the lid off a campus-wide conspiracy involving our sports program (so far, less than stellar luck with that one, but I know the thing exists, so I guess that's a start), bought tickets to see Styx in concert (And REO Speedwagon, but... ew), went through almost every haunted house at Busch Gardens, found an anime that I don't actually hate, participated in a chess tournament (which I lost miserably), had 4 guys live in my room for a weekend, and hosted a really rushed and pathetic (but fun!) Halloween Cthulhu adventure. I also got drunk on more than one occasion.
I'm a little broke, and still have the following to take care of:

1) All the homework I've neglected while doing these things
2) A trip to DC for Jane's birthday
3) Lsats
4) Applying for law school
5) Coma forever

So yeah. I have a lot of psychologist/ psychology interested friends. Maybe you guys can explain this one to me.

After Craig left yesterday, I decided to go out for a drive. It was stupid because now on top of everything else, I need to get an oil change in my car tomorrow. And, to make a long story short, I ended up stopping by an Arby's to eat dinner. The Arby's was some kind of fast food cathedral by the way, but they were playing this really shitty 90s music, and one of the songs that came on was "Sunny Came Home." Now if you remember this abomination of nature, I'm sorry, but it reminded me of Model U.N in my junior year. It was the week before I asked Mel out, and I was at a "delegate party" of sorts and they had karaoke, and one of my old friends from the last Model U.N. was up there singing the song. It's a disturbingly clear memory, and ever since I can't get that song out of my head, and I'm feeling unbelievably depressed. With all of my insane self-analysis, I can't even begin to figure out why I would remember this so clearly and why it would depress me. Thoughts?

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27316719/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27316719/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:03:03 PDT [link]
would come from someone who doesn't understand capitalism or love.

The truth is that capitalism IS a love story, or rather a marriage story. For better or worse. One partner in this marriage is a dream: success earned through hard work and triumph through difficulty. The other is each of us individually: sometimes with issues that need to be sorted out, sometimes strong and powerful. Now that the higher education system is actually devoted to proselytizing young, promising people to the liberal cause (and face it, it is) and those who disagree with a liberal world-view are shunned by the intellectual community (those of you in research fields, how much research do you see supporting the individual and their rights?), we find ourselves on the verge of divorce. And understandably so. The marriage is broken. Old money beats out opportunity almost every time. But, like all marriages, there are other ways of dealing with it. There are compromises to be made, problems to be solved, issues to deal with. But complete divorce? Socialism seems so young and attractive during this particular mid-life crisis, but it's shallow, ill-thought out, popular only because of how it looks at first glance. Let's not throw away 233 years of blissful marriage just because we feel like we need a change. Instead, we ask capitalism, we ask the dream, to change with us, as we grow older.

I know what that sounds like. I know it seems reactionary. That's not what I'm talking about. Everyone should have a chance to succeed. But success should NEVER be automatic. Because it quite literally isn't. In order to exist you HAVE to produce. You have no choice. You have to put into the pool to take out of it. Obviously.

I do understand that corporate hegemony makes this sort of thing difficult. It ensures that certain people remain eternally in power. And I've never claimed to be against regulation, just wealth redistribution. But there are limits to how much the government should be allowed to do to curb this. I mean, when you give the power to the government, all you're doing is changing who's in control of that hegemony. And frankly, corporations don't have guns. How much of ourselves are we really willing to give up to the all-powerful, all-benevolent government? Seriously.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27271996/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27271996/ Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:50:58 PDT
Today, at last the world has learned the truth. Or the campus anyway. It started off normally (naturally I was on-guard, but nothing suspicious was seen). The first sign of zombie activity was possibly the most terrifying. My good friend Cheryl, a black bandana around her head, walking through the dining hall amongst my fellow classmates. The police presence kept her at bay, but the sight alone was enough to curb my appetite. I resolved instead to return to my room to better prepare and to stock up on ammo.

On Brock Commons they first attacked. Or rather on the path from Brock Commons to the parking lot. There were two and (and here's the important part, so keep up) they RAN at me from two separate directions in a clear attempt to cut off my only exit. I hope all of you out there understand the ramifications of this. The zombies can not only move surprisingly quickly (I believe some are actually faster than natural humans), but they retain at least enough mental faculties to coordinate and launch basic attacks. I have a theory on this, but I'll expand later. So there I was, separated from my only refuge... I took a long shot at my pursuer, but missed by a hair... by this time the fast one was directly in front of me. I leveled my weapon and hit him right between the eyes. He dropped and I ran, never looking back.

It was only after barricading myself in my room that I stopped to check my e-mail account. There I found a message from a researcher by the name of Austin. He was heading up a resistance group... 30 or so humans. He had some basic information on the zombies he wished to share, if we could arrive at the Student Union within the next hour.

I found the area patrolled by heavily armed guards. Zombie corpses littered the area. To my horror, as I approached, I saw what was once Cheryl lying dead before me. To my greater horror, as I gaped at her destroyed form, her wounds closed and she sat up once again. The resistance wasted no time in gunning her down, with an incredible amount of military precision. It was then that we saw him. The original fucking zombie. Patient Zero, The Incubator, or whatever you want to call him... Big Scary Motherfucker is my personal favorite moniker. He was being chased by some badass black guy with a semi-automatic. One shot to the gut was all it took to take Big Scary Motherfucker down.

My roommate showed up at the meeting as well... thus far, he's shown no signs of infection.

Austin debriefed us on the situation. As I had observed earlier, the zombies maintained some, but not all of their mental faculties. The virus spreads when zombies munch on, and usually in the process infect the brain, BUT they need living brains to feed off of. It's difficult to say, but Austin predicts that if a zombie goes 48 hours without feeding, it will likely die. I personally believe that this instinct to feed is all that separates us from the "zombies." They're still human in many of the ways that matter, though they may not speak or even breathe... but the hunger must be so unbearable they can think of nothing else. This would explain why they avoid attacking indoors where they'd be gunned down, preferring to pick off isolated resistance members outside when possible. They also regenerate any destroyed appendages,from arms, to legs, to the heads themselves at an alarming rate... No matter how riddled with bullets they may be, within 10 minutes they are alive and well again.

Austin also explained to us that scientists had created an antidote, which could cure the infection before a human was converted. This was sent out from another university researcher now officially "deceased" though I suspect you will still find him wandering around whatever town he lived in. Unfortunately the package was lost in-route, and we had very few clues as to where it was.

We searched for a good half hour before the package was found, and lost 5 good men and women... for ONE measly dose of the antidote. The poor souls who were lost are now beyond saving and the antidote belongs to someone I don't know well. I am hopeful, but I was ambushed again on the way to dinner... I don't know how long I can hold out.

Intelligence puts the number of active zombies on campus at 9. If that number hasn't doubled by tomorrow evening, I'm Queen Victoria.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27248984/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27248984/ Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:55:25 PDT
While you sat in your homes, pacified by 24 hour news programs and cowering in fear of the Swine Flu, a much more insidious virus was hiding, incubating, growing. I've heard rumors for several weeks about breakouts across the country, mostly in small, tightly knit communities such as college campuses. And just tonight, I've heard rumblings that the virus is here at Longwood, incubating in one of our own. It could be my classmates, the others in the dining hall, it could even be in my friends, or my roommate, or me. It's hard to tell at this point, so we'll just have to wait and see.

I know, most of the people on campus don't believe it. They think it's a hoax, or a horror story told to scare freshmen. But I know better. I've been ready for this moment for years. I've purchased from walmart the best weapon that nine dollars and eighty two cents could buy. And I've prepared... This particular weapon has a few tricks up its sleeve; tricks I've added myself.

I'll try to update at regular intervals and let you know what's going on out here. I may not have much contact with the outside world... This may be the last chance I get to communicate with you. If so, I want you to know that I'm glad I knew you, all of you, and I wish you a safe and prosperous life.

Oh, and if you see me with a blue bandana around my head? Silver Nerf dart, right between the eyes.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27105778/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/27105778/ Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:14:45 PDT
I expected lots of violence. I expected lots of guns, some explosions, and witty one-liners. I didn't get that. What I got instead was an incredible use of suspense and tension, the likes of which I haven't seen since Hitchcock. I am confident in stating that Inglorious Bastards is the best movie to come out in the past couple of years (Don't bring Batman into this... he's on a different playing field altogether).

To be fair, a lot of what makes or breaks a movie is expectation, and when a film breaks that expectation to such an enormous degree, it's hard to look at it objectively. I love pleasant surprises, and this movie was full of them. For instance, as the movie opens, we see a farmhand and a Nazi officer having a conversation in fluent French. About five minutes in, the Nazi apologizes, stating that he has exhausted his knowledge of the French language, and would be more comfortable speaking in English. "My God," I thought. "What a contrived plot point." Imagine my surprise when not only did the switch actually serve a plot purpose, but the rest of the dialogue was in the proper language depending on the situation (with subtitles, obviously). The use of language throughout the movie was superb.

But that's just one tiny element. The whole movie was a study in dramatic tension, with Tarantino reliably writing dialogue scenes just a BIT longer than was comfortable and taking just a LITTLE too long to reach the explosive conflict that has everyone in the theater sitting on the edge of their seats. The twists and turns of the cookie-cutter "we're going to kill some Nazis" plot weren't exactly unexpected (for the most part), but their execution never failed to bring some doubt into your mind. Will the British spy be found out, or will he pull it off? What exactly is the Nazi officer after? Is the Bear Jew really as terrifying as his reputation implies?

The action comes quickly and suddenly in small, explosive bursts. In typical Tarantino fashion, those quick bursts usually end in gushing blood and exposed skulls. And just like that, the tension is relieved, but only momentarily. Immediately there's some other, more pressing, more dangerous issue at hand.

The acting is beautifully over-the-top. Brad Pitt's part is actually relatively small, given that he's the only one on the poster, but he plays it incredibly. I love his forced, obviously fake Tennessee accent, and I hate accents. His "supporting" cast did as well, if not better. Brad is clearly the comic relief, and in most of the best scenes, he doesn't even make an appearance until the thing is almost over. It's almost as if he's commenting on the events without any direct involvement in them. And yes, once again he defied my expectations. I don't remember him personally killing one Nazi, unless he did in the jail scene.

And the climax was beautiful. While the whole movie was shot artistically, the ending, from the start of the movie forward, had a particular element to it. Perhaps the crew was able to control lighting and film better inside the theater set than in other parts. I've heard people complain about the ending since, but I can't think of any more fitting end to the thing.

This movie is a piece of art. The story is a near-parody of other films, Valkyrie specifically, and perhaps even some of the Indiana Jones films, but it's in the execution that it really excels. Go see it because it's pretty even if Brad Pitt killing Nazis isn't exactly your thing.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26952875/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26952875/ Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:13:36 PDT
]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26941411/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26941411/ Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:57:53 PDT and verbs. Therefore, you can build a house, but you can also house a build... Hmmm...

Also, Disney bought Marvel in case somebody somewhere hasn't heard.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26867954/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26867954/ Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:48:21 PDT
No, it's obvious that any sort of synchronization is coincidence. Which is not to say that it doesn't work, just that it doesn't work perfectly, and it's more whether you're willing to buy into the whole experience or not.

On the pro-synchronization side, there are a couple points. The movements of the characters do seem to match up with the rhythm of the music after a certain point, and there are a couple other things, listed by track.

1) Speak to me: Covers the credits, so you know. The heart beat sound works pretty well with them I guess...

2) Breathe: There were a couple supposed matches with Breathe, but honestly I didn't seem them. I suppose the smiling and crying men where it says "the smiles you give and tears you cry" was kind of cool, but other than that, eh.

3) On the Run: The increased tempo hits right at the same time that the characters become notably more animated. Auntie Em's speaking synchs perfectly with the woman talking in the background. Obviously "Over the Rainbow" doesn't work very well at all with the ultra-fast tempo, but there is an interesting part towards the end where you hear a plane crashing and Dorothy follows the sound with a disinterested look on her face until it (apparently) crashes into the ground. Overall, a pretty cool track.

4)Time: The clocks match Gulch's arrival on the bicycle exactly. Her argument with Dorothy over Toto, and her taking Toto is accompanied by ominous music with heavy bass hits at strangely dramatic moments. The rest doesn't work out terribly well as Dorothy makes her way to the Fortune Teller, and sits down to talk with him. There are about a thousand supposed matches here, but none of them really caught my attention or made me buy into the theory, other than the over-all irony of a song about Time accompanying a fortune teller. In other words... eh.

5) The Great Gig in the sky: Seriously, that shit be freaky.

6) Money: Shit continues to be freaky, and actually gets freakier. From when Dorothy opens the door in wonder to the cash register jingle until the final dance number with hundreds of midgets moving in perfect time with the final sax solo, seriously, woah.

7) Us and Them: Suddenly shit stops being freaky. I suppose the movements still match up pretty well, and there are a couple lyrical connections, especially as "Us and Them" plays during the confrontation with the Wicked Witch. Still, after Money, this one kind of broke the spell.

8)Any Colour You Like: I have nothing interesting to say about this one. Think the Scarecrow's "yes" and "no" nods matched in a way to the tone of the music.

9) Brain Damage: The lunatic is clearly not on the grass. He was, in fact, on the path, not in a hall, no paper was pressed to the floor, obviously there was no paper boy to bring more. You can only really make this one work by using the catch-all: "crazy crap happened while a song about crazy people was playing."

10) Eclipse: Also doesn't work very well... Heartbeat at the VERY end matches with the characters listening to the Tin Man's empty chest.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26667950/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26667950/ Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:39:18 PDT
-The White House Blog


No. No you don't do that. I understand that there is disinformation circulating about the health-care bill, and I understand that there are a lot of crazies sending out a lot of blatant lies about it. And I understand that those issues need to be addressed, and so must be brought to the attention of the staff. The issue I have with this is HOW this particular solution is presented. I am a free speech person, above and beyond anything else, and one of the good things I thought would come out of this administration is a healthy respect for first amendment rights. I was clearly mistaken. Now yes, this technically doesn't violate any first amendment rules. But I'm still not okay with a giant government database of dissenters and their opinions. This country is founded on the idea that people are allowed to say and think and do what they want, no matter how much we disagree with it. And people who send e-mails expect those messages to be between themselves and their recipients. Asking the citizenry to send private e-mails to some government website where they'll be collected and sifted through well... that seems kind of fishy to me.

Imagine if Bush had asked people to send his office any "9-11 truth" e-mails they received. People would have freaked the fuck out. And with good reason. It's an invasion of privacy and it reeks of protectionism which is just one giant leap away from fascism.

Nancy Pelosi called the dissenters unpatriotic. That's a telling choice of words. The town hall wreckers were many things: stupid, ignorant, irritating, disruptive, unproductive, even destructive. They were not, in any sense of the word, unpatriotic. They understand their rights, even if they understand nothing else. They understand that this is a country where any person, with ANY and I mean ANY opinion has the right to walk right up to the president, and in a non-violent fashion, disagree with him in the strongest terms. This is a country where we can say "fuck you" to the Speaker of the House and get away with it. Now SHOULD we? I don't know. I would think in most cases such a statement would do more harm than good. But we have that right, and understanding it, despite your motivation and your intelligence level, is the most patriotic thing in the world.

So please, I'm begging you, no matter how ridiculous the chain mail is, it isn't their place to stamp it out. In this country, it's every citizen's place to tell fact from fiction for his or herself. Don't let anyone take that from us.

P.S. This particular effort was shut down yesterday, due to bad press. Should still scare you a bit that it was attempted in the first place. And, according to the Washington Times, there actually were some issues with keeping the identities of e-mail senders anonymous.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26587857/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26587857/ Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:05:04 PDT
Also, need to work out the logistics of a "Woo party," not to be confused with "party." This should also happen some time in those 5 evenings.

Let me know.

Sincerely,
The Walruss

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26557212/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26557212/ Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:52:48 PDT
So, when his friend Roark is besieged for attempting to reclaim (destroy) his own work, dynamiting a building he designed when it wasn't built according to his specifications, Gail decides to finally cash in on all these listeners he can reach, all these people who's sole source of information is his paper. And he finds his audience unreceptive, even hostile. The people he thought he had so much power over only listened so long as he told them what they wanted to hear. The minute he deviated from the script, he lost that audience. He ends up bankrupt and destroyed, loses the woman he loved, etc, etc, etc.

The point was, whether right or wrong, that integrity can't be reclaimed. You can make a commitment to be true to yourself in the future, but you have to give up those things you've gained through compromise, through pandering, through selling yourself out.

Don't know why that popped into my head, my mind's pretty much a supercollider of random thoughts and sometimes weird shit pops out. I do know that I've been this restless many times in the past, and the urge to derail my carefully planned (by me?) life is overwhelming and often ends up hurting myself and the people I love. I also know that it's never had anything to do with the people themselves. It's an internal thing, a mental tic that can be set off by any sort of minutia; a comment, a passing thought, a thunder storm.

I feel like as parts of me grow stronger (compassion, commitment, self-discipline) other parts atrophy and slowly disappear (impulsiveness, creativity). I guess that's what you'd call "change" but I always imagined somehow I'd have more control over the process. "Change" is supposed to be good, but there are parts of me I'm not ready to say goodbye to just yet. And I wonder what it is about all this that makes me wish I didn't love the people around me. That makes me want to be close to, physically and emotionally, people who disgust me. I've experienced such a thing before, I think my regular viewers know what I'm talking about. I go through phases when I'm turned on by the passionless, the pathetic, the things about myself and those people around me I most despise on a day-to-day basis. Somewhere in the twisted logic of my brain this makes sense, but the explanation would probably horrify even those closest to me, and I'm certainly not going to attempt it in the form of a public journal. The point is though, that sometimes I'm not looking for love and compassion, sometimes I'm looking for an adversary.

I blame the media.

(P.S. Think I'll end all my journals with that from now on)

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26519918/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26519918/ Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:02:30 PDT
]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26400965/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26400965/ Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:42:28 PDT
1) Risk Godstorm: This is one of those games that I was really excited about, then less excited about, then more excited about, then really excited about again. Craig and I played through a game the other night. It honestly takes about an hour and a half to get through, and it is beyond entertaining (as is craig's ability to roll constant ones throughout the whole thing). The cards and the plagues make it much more substantial than regular risk without it being like... Axis and Allies or Battletech complicated.

2) BattleTech: I shall never find anyone who actually wants to play this game with me. However, I am so in love with it right now that I don't even know where to start. The rules are explicitly designed to allow you to play this game the way you want, with the level of detail that you're comfortable trying to pull off. I'm personally really getting into 'Mech design, and into the role of a MechWarrior, sort of a roleplaying take on the whole thing. Though I realize the impossibility of such an endeavor, it is my fondest dream to one day have a full-on war with this system, complete with separate planets, planned invasions, interceptions, space and land battles, objectives, etc, with both players serving as referees. The RPing opportunities are truly endless, from a common soldier standing down a Mech he knows he can't hope to defeat to the general inside his indestructible suit, casually strolling through the battle, to the industrial worker, just hoping to survive the whole damn thing. And how many systems give you the tools to build your own dropship? Remember in Red Vs. Blue where the rookie goes "So I was thinking, if we've got a ship big enough to carry a tank, why not just put guns on the ship?" YOU CAN DO THAT! My ideal war pits better warriors and pilots with less cash to spend on construction against a veritable army of stormtrooper types with nearly limitless resources. It would be awesome and don't tell me it wouldn't be. Now let's just hold the world in stasis for a couple months so that I can pull it off.

3) Kings: Kings is a show on NBC based off of David from the Bible. STICK WITH ME HERE! It is so awesome! It's set in this futuristic/post-apocalyptic setting, and is fitted with all the trappings, including a brother-in-law who wants the king (Still Silas, this is before David ascended) dead, a gay son, a preacher with semi-mystical powers, a queen who will fucking kill you, a secret mistress, and a battle with a tank. And I haven't even given anything away.

4) Texas Hold 'em: I've always loved poker because it's actually not that hard to know what the right thing is to do, but it's REALLY hard to do it. It's like this intense psychological experiment to determine how emotions interfere with logical capability. Texas Hold'em is far too "high stakes" for us to ever get a game together, but it takes this to an extreme, due to how good it is at building suspense just by how the cards are dealt. Plus, it's always fun to see how people act when they actually care about who wins the game they're playing

5) Beyond the Mountains of Madness: I've just gotten through reading... well I can't tell you that, but one of the background texts for this game, and HOLY SHIT is there so much awesome storytelling in and around this game. For those of you who don't know, Beyond the Mountains of Madness is a game based on a fictional expedition to the Antarctic which is beset by a series of issues, from poor leadership to sabotage. It's got an incredible horror/macabre twist to the whole thing (being a Cthulhu game after all) and boasts more NPCs than all the other games I've run combined. I'm afraid that the first... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26384428/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26384428/ Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:59:50 PDT
Ungoliant, as those closest to me know, is a spider who lived outside our house in a house all her own. A web spun with great care, where she caught, spun and ate insects the size of my fist.

When I first saw Ungoliant's pleasant yet deadly home, I thought it had a quite different tenant. For inside the web, spiraling downward into nothingness, what I can only assume is a black hole from which my departed friend emerged, was one of the largest spiders I had ever seen in my life. Each day it greeted me, looking out the same way, all eight dark eyes staring, and mouth a gaping maw. This massive, terrifying creature was not Ungoliant. For as time went by, I realized that the spider was dead, and had been for quite some time. I met Ungoliant first when she was devouring this poor, unfortunate creature, coming upon him the way a shark may come upon a school of unsuspecting fish.

Over the following weeks, I came to know Ungoliant, and love her as a friend, companion, and constant threat to the dog and to my own safety as I slept in the night. Many evenings I would leave to take out the trash, only to be startled as she reared up on her hind legs and, I swear this to be true, hissed at me. I will look back on these memories fondly.

If Ungoliant were alive today, she would not want us to remember her as she is now, a tangled mass of overlong limbs and bloated spider subsections, caught in her own, never-ending web. Instead, she would want us to remember her as she was, absolutely and completely terrifying in every possible way, spinning a bumblebee she had caught in her impenetrable net so that it could not get away, and instead could be consumed at her leisure. And we can take heart, knowing that very likely, Ungoliant has been survived by 666 offspring who have been sent to the corners of the planet to wreak havoc upon us all and begin the age of spider dominion on Earth.

So here's to you Ungoliant. Rest in peace you creepy motherfucker.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26336007/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26336007/ Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:19:23 PDT
So... happy friendship day! I love you guys! Let us make friendship day into a truly celebrated holiday.

YAY FRIENDS!

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26242340/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26242340/ Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:42:56 PDT
I don't know why, but something about the electricity in the air makes me feel... connected. Like I'm holding the end of a live wire with a constant flow of energy from the universe to me, and every other molecule of existence is just a step away. It's some sort of reminder I guess. I mean, now everything's moving apart, but in the beginning we all burst out from the same infinitesimally small point, and we're all made of the same stuff, and somewhere out there, that stuff condensed into such a beautiful and wonderful form as Earth and humanity, and those forms are conscious and walk and talk and move. They create brilliant works of art, they write symphonies, their mating process has moved past simple need into something so beautiful that those brilliant works of art and those symphonies can only barely capture any semblance of it.

And they're so wonderfully complicated, these people. Even the worst parts of them, the most contradictory bits of their nature, are all other sides of some positive trait. Pride comes from confidence and anger from a desire to protect the things they love and jealousy from the desire to be a better person. And every one of us has all of these things within us, the good and the bad. We aren't so different, but yet we're completely different.

And at the end of the day, when our times here are over, we fade back into the universe but, and here's the beautiful thing, we are never destroyed. And nothing, NOTHING can take away that mark we've left. Our substance, it's a physical substance, allows us to walk and talk and move and love and feel, and it can never be completely created nor completely destroyed. Whatever we've done, for better or worse, we've done it forever, and here, NOW is the place to make that mark, not in some mythical afterlife. I honestly don't understand how the jesus freaks and jihadists and even just normal, religious people reconcile it. How can their pathetic, tiny, squabbling gods ever live up to the universe in all of its grandeur, one living, breathing, moving organism with so many different pieces and parts, so many different beautiful faces that if it were possible to see all of them, I think we'd go crazy with the intensity of it.

I'm not making any sense.

This whole thing, this whole rant, all these thoughts make me want to look at things differently. I want to throw out my carefully scripted plans and my 5-year path to success or what the fuck ever. I want to see what this beautiful, incredible place has hidden for me in the future (which, after all, is just an extension of the present), and I want to be open enough to discover it. I want to take my girlfriend to some isolated place and watch the storm in the rain, or find everyone I've ever fought with and explain why it was as much my fault as theirs. I want to take out my savings and spend it on the people I love. I want to blare music as loudly as I can, the type doesn't matter (after all, even the most repetitive, disgusting pop band has its origins in the same places as Mozart and Beethoven). And I want you, whoever you are reading this right now, to know that I love you so much. I have since the moment I met you, in your own way, and even if we have a massive fight and never speak again, I always will.

Still doesn't make sense, but maybe someone somewhere will kind of get it. I kind of hope so.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26112565/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26112565/ Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:22:28 PDT
But the amount of coverage the Gates incident is receiving is completely insane. For those of you who don't know the story, Henry Louis Gates is a very respected Harvard professor, famous for breakthrough journal articles and papers regarding race. He also happens to be black. On the 16th, Gates came home to his gated community house and, as many of us have experienced, found that he'd left his key and couldn't get in the house. Like we might be tempted to do in that situation, he went out back and proceeded to attempt to find another way in.

The neighbor noticed this black man attempting to sneak into her neighbor's house and she called the police, reporting a possible burglary. They arrived on the scene, found that there was a man actually attempting to sneak into the house, and ordered him to stop. Gates became belligerent, downright rude to the officers, and was arrested for disorderly conduct. Which is what happens when you're rude to police officers. Whether you're black or white.

Now obviously racial profiling did take place here. The neighbor would have at least paused before calling the police on a white man attempting to break into her own house, or may have confronted him herself before calling. But the officers involved were simply verifying that he did live there, and by calmly showing them his ID, the whole thing would have blown over. You can bet your ass that a white person refusing to show ID and being belligerent with police would also be arrested. You don't disrespect officers of the law. Especially not when they're DOING THEIR JOB.

I'm sorry some people are jerks. But for the love of all things holy, let's not make a federal case out of people who don't know how to handle themselves in public.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26063396/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/26063396/ Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:45:02 PDT
So happy Friends' Day to all of the people out there that I actually like (That includes pretty much anyone who's reading this). I know I don't get to see you as often as I have in the past, but I love you guys, and I'm glad I know you.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25954685/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25954685/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:12:29 PDT
Also, we get it. Malfoy is conflicted. If you had spent half as much time on plot as you did on scenes of him brooding intently we could have had a story to go with our giggling.

EDIT

Okay, I feel that 3 AM had zapped my powers of mercy and objectivity, so I owe it to you guys and the creators to take it back. The movie doesn't completely suck. Instead let's just say that I was disappointed. To be fair, the 6th book was my personal favorite, and the producers would have needed several more hours and a much larger budget to fit everything I loved about it into the movie. Still, there are a few simple steps they could have taken to make a passable imitation. (Very mild spoilers to follow)


1) Teach Radcliff to act
The guy who plays Malfoy did an incredible job with his role. When I said we saw too much of him, that wasn't, strictly speaking, accurate. It's better to say that he took up more space than was necessary, he overshadowed the characters because he was a clearly complex, conflicted character while Harry appeared to be reading his lines off of cue cards. This could also have affected how I took the love story. We are supposed to see a foil in this story: On the one hand you have Malfoy, being driven by fear and hatred to do things he really doesn't want to do, and on the other you have Potter, who is in danger of falling into the same trap. Harry's acting was the main issue, but there were other things that could have been done to fix it.

2) More Snape
The enmity between Snape and Harry was important. Like, really important. Yet he appears mostly in the background for most of the movie. I know that they were doing this for a reason, but there were better ways to handle this.

Have Snape walk Harry back from the train: This would give Snape plenty of time to deride Sirius, reminding us (and hopefully Radcliff) that Harry's godfather just died, and to show off just how much contempt Harry and Snape had for each other.

3) Psst, Snape helped kill Harry's parents
Yeah, probably should have included that whole "reporting the prophesy to Voldermort" thing. Though including the love potion scene instead was an acceptable alternative (sarcasm).

4) Fix the room of requirement scene
Just... fix it. I was okay with it happening that way, but the dialogue... fix it.

5)Needs more Tonks
Just personal preference

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25938336/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25938336/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:20:54 PDT
]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25818289/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25818289/ Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:18:15 PDT
[link]

Let's talk for a minute. Let's talk for a minute about how the goddamn world works, and why people who are anti-big business are ungrateful idiots for whom the only fitting punishment is an eternity spent without those companies they so despise. Because frankly I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the entitlement thing that says that people deserve things from food to computers just by virtue of being alive.

Yes. Food. I'm a heartless bastard, get over it.

Now don't get me wrong. This is NOT an objectivist rant. I understand that people often find themselves in conditions where they are unable, as opposed to unwilling, to provide for themselves. And I think that any person with a shred of humanity agrees that it's the right thing to do to help these people out, until they're able to once again help themselves.

Here's what I don't get. What I don't get is the sense of entitlement, and worse, the jealousy that most of the world seems to have towards business leaders. What's the last television show, movie, book, video game, whatever that you've seen where the CEO or multi-millionaire wasn't the bad guy? How many of you out there hate Bill Gates? Have you ever asked yourself why? Because if Bill Gates made ONE dollar on every product his company had sold, he'd be twice as rich as he is now.

So let's explain, once and for all, how this whole "existence" thing goes. You perform some service to humanity, and in exchange, you receive services from your fellow man. If you don't want the CEO of Frito Lays to be rich, stop buying Fritos. If you like Fritos, stop acting all pissy with the person who makes Fritos possible. Just spend your money on the Fritos you want, enjoy your damn Fritos, and shut up.

If I seem bitter, it's because I am. There's a large movement going on right now for freedom of information. "There should be no price on knowledge" they say. The people have spoken, words are free.

Except they're not. Someone has to go gather that information. Someone has to do that and also eat. Someone might be coming out of college attempting to carve out a little place for himself in the world only to find that the industry he had planned on working in is gone, and there's nothing to take its place because the world has decided that what he does is a right and not a commodity.

You damn kids with your limewire and pirate bay. You have no sense of ownership and no sense of responsibility. Sure, it seems harmless. It's been painted that way by everyone from the media to college professors. But there are people who make their living off of that shit. And even if it's a copy you're taking, that's a copy they didn't sell. That's a service you get for free without permission of the owner. It's the same thing as stealing a book. It would cost very little to make another copy, but now you have the book and you didn't pay for it.

And yes, I know the story. "If I hadn't pirated it, I wouldn't have bought it anyway." Maybe not. I wouldn't buy a Jaguar because it's overpriced and it's really not that great a car. Yet if I steal it, guess what. It's still grand theft fucking auto. The same holds true if I steal a snickers bar, or a newspaper, or whatever. No matter how cheap it is to produce, and no matter whether you'd buy it or not, taking something from an owner without their permission is called stealing.

In conclusion, do you know what really grinds my gears? You America. Fuck you

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25472415/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25472415/ Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:35:47 PDT
Roleplaying: The game is based off of D&D. And I don't mean that the combat system is based off of D&D, the whole game plays as a massive Dungeons and Dragons campaign with the dungeons replaced with highly computerized military compounds, the evil sorcerers replaced with dark Jedi, the fighters replaced with incredibly annoying gun-slinging soldiers and mercenaries who can stand side-by-side with the Jedi and still hold their own (or in my case, hold their own and then clean up the Jedi's mess when they run out of force power and end up unconscious on the ground). The rogues are smugglers, the orcs are sith and the dragons are...well... dragons, but a different KIND of dragon. The NPCs in-game react to your presence and all have their stories to tell, and you can question every one of them. Sure, it's not perfect. Your conversation choices are basically limited to "I am responding like a normal person would," "Please tell me your life story," "Here, have all my money," and "I'm going to kill you for no goddamn reason." And obviously, the D&D system always has at least one or two cases where, despite taking every possible precaution, you still end up fried because the dice didn't go your way (A rant for another entry). But, between interaction and good characters, the game comes as close to an actual RPG as I've ever seen a game come. Which brings me to point two.

Good characters: Okay, so I want to kill Carth. And Mission is perhaps a little too Oliver Twist, but the thing is that every NPC in the game, in your party or not, has a believable backstory. I love Jolee Bindo. He's at the same time funny and tragic, and one of the main reasons I felt bad for going dark side. I tend to add extra narration to what the game gives me as I play, unspoken dialogue, pauses in the action, etc. I do this with every game, but especially with KOTOR, mostly because of its characters. And I have an image in my head of Jolee, whatever other character, and I resting between insane waves of enemies on the Star Forge, all fully aware that we will likely die a horrible death in a moment, sharing stories from our own adventures together and from Jolee's younger days. On the other hand, one of the best parts of going dark side was giving Canderous, the huge, fearless mercenary, a "purpose" for his life at last and unleashing him on an unsuspecting Sith army.

Choice: I'm not referring here to the "Moral Choice" component of the game where you choose whether or not to kill a baby kitten or send an orphan to college (though even that is more robust than most games in the genre). I'm talking about taking on encounters your way. I honestly believe that if you worked at it, you could go through the entire game unarmed. Obviously you probably won't, since there's a lot of challenges that require you to kill some shit, and a lightsaber slash is generally the easiest way to do that. But there are others. The use of computer manipulation (Don't ignore T3, he's one of the best tools in your arsenal, especially for computers and specially equipped enemies) stealth (Mission's also more useful than she generally gets credit for) and mines (A skill I neglected and could have done SO much with) can get you out of hot spots often EASIER than just charging in. Just accessing an area's security system can get you a detailed map of a complex and show you exactly what you'll see in every room before you go charging in.

As a scoundrel (rogue) and consular (Jedi who focuses more on force powers than actual combat), I found that lockpicking around a problem, restoring a malfunctioning droid to get it to fight on your side, or plain talking my way out of things (the persuade skill is the best one in the game) came in handy just as often as more traditional means. I could have played as a soldier and just beaten the crap out of everything, and it would have been an entirely different playing experience: one full of explosions and blaster fire, instead of sneaking and fast talking.

And here's the best part. Your choices actually impact the game world. Dialogue (all voice acted, every single line except your own) changes depending on how you tackle problems, what you say to people, what side quests you complete, etc. For example, when I got to Manaan I was hard up for cash and desperately needed new equipment. In order to make some money I played the swoop bike (not podracing) minigame and managed to win the season title. From that point on, a bunch of the tourists in Manaan treated me like a celebrity, and ocassionally I'd run into a character off-world who would refer to my swoop-bike win. A lot of quests have a similar... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25303472/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25303472/ Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:10:17 PDT I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll stand on the bow
And feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down, down, down on me

And you said,"Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in"
Don't you understand?
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

When I awoke today suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path
And up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my own footsteps once again

And you say,"Just be here now
Forget about the past
Your mask is wearing thin"
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll check my machine
There's sure to be that call
It's gonna happen soon, soon, oh so very soon
It's just that times are lean

And you say,"Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in"
Don't you understand?
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

On a clear day
I can see, see a very long way

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25025338/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/25025338/ Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:13:53 PDT
The popular theory states that artists, philosophers, poets who are much better at what they do than I am understand love. That's bullshit. Noone really "gets" it because it's not nearly as glamorous as the advertisers would have you believe. There are no eyes meeting from across the room, slow motion when she tosses her hair, men climbing down from whites steeds, sudden impulsive dashes to the fire escape to make love in the summer breeze. The events around you aren't magically scripted to set up the perfect romantic ending, and there's almost NEVER a Justice of the Peace around to officiate your impromptu wedding. The person you spent hours daydreaming about as a child doesn't exist, and if they do, they have no interest in you. Which is lucky, actually because now you won't have to see Sleeping Beauty or Prince Charming ten years down the line when their looks start to go, they're stuck in middle management, and they start hitting the bottle. And I don't mean drinking heavily, they're just kind of wandering around smashing bottles against things for no reason.

The best you can hope for is a true friend and a companion who will see you through thick and thin and who is honest with you and not utterly repulsed by you. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. If you find someone who's beautiful, intelligent, caring, and loyal, hold on to that person for all their worth because you, sir, are the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet. Just don't expect to hear bells, you know? There's no orchestra playing in the background of life. And above all, do not count on that person for your own happiness. It's not that they aren't trying, if this IS love, they would do anything in the world to make you happy. It's just not in their power. They can't. They can help, but in the end, life's happiness is up to you, and satisfying relationships are only a small part of that.

Have a pleasant day everyone, and I hope you've enjoyed Russell raining on your parades.

Edit

I was going to delete this after I came to my senses, but I sort of enjoyed the discussion going on, and I don't want to get rid of all those posts. Instead I think maybe I'll just clarify it a bit. I don't want to say romance isn't real, because I know for a fact it is. I've had romantic moments, I've had romantic moments in the past couple days actually... Just that it's different for everyone, and it doesn't look the way people traditionally picture it. Hell, a night where I'm sitting and playing video games, Mel's reading, and we're both not saying a whole lot can be romantic for me, just because it emphasizes how comfortable we are with each other. So's a night out with flowers, chocolate, and a sunset on the beach (We should do that some time after she recovers). But that evening isn't going to look like a scene out of Sixteen Candles. We both have our quirks, something somewhere WILL go wrong, and even if everything's perfect, and some rich man is touched by how sweet we are together and offers to rent us his hotel's penthouse for the night (in itself a romance movie crock), there's still the sock issue. And the reason I'm going into this isn't because I hate romance and think it's some silly childish delusion. It's because I love it, and I hate the way it's been bastardized and turned into some unobtainable panacea for all the world's problems. It's love, it's beautiful, but it's not a cure-all. If we accept it for what it is, and not what we want it to be, it can be one of the greatest things that ever happens to us.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24915865/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24915865/ Sat, 23 May 2009 22:47:41 PDT
Well, to be fair, I did the big no-no of this particular game... I looked for hints. Not a walkthrough, but hints on four of the 60 puzzle pieces. I deeply regret every hint I looked up, as each of the puzzles was solvable on its own. That is to say, each solution MAKES SENSE and makes sense at such a core level, you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself (there's a good reason, by the way, the human brain usually thinks in TWO dimensions).

For those of you who don't know, Braid is a puzzle game that's kind of a parody of "Super Mario Bros." except it's really not.

Let's try again. Braid is a platformer that lets you manipulate the fabric of space and time.

No, that's not right either. Huh...

Okay, in Braid you play like this guy, you know? And he's looking for a princess. And he can't find her. And he's thinking back on all the things in the past that he could have done better... I think. Or it was about the atomic bomb.

Jesus Christ.

Okay, we'll take this a little at a time. In Braid, you play Tim, a young man searching for a princess. Tim has the ability to reverse time (I believe through sheer force of will... Tim is a very willful guy). Each level plays like a platformer, namely like the old Mario games, only, because you have the ability to reverse time, you don't die... you just go back to before whatever killed you.

The levels are easy. Very easy, as in usually you can just walk from one side of the room to the other without being killed and beat the level. Enemies are non-threatening for the most part (I had some issues with the killer bunnies, but other than that...) and the atmosphere is generally very calm.

However, in order to get to the final world, you have to complete 5 simple jigsaw puzzles. And in order to do that, you have to find the jigsaw pieces in each world. Since you can go into any level that you've previously "beat" you don't have to find them in order or anything, you just have to find them all before you can beat the game. In order to find and obtain the jigsaw pieces, you solve puzzles. One puzzle per piece. Some are extremely easy, most are at least fairly mind-bending. In each world, you have a separate time-related mechanic. For instance, in one level the flow of time depends on your position in the level... as you walk forward, time flows forward. When you walk backwards in the level, time flows backwards, snow falls up, creatures that were moving in one direction go back from whence they came, doors that were unlocked lock. In another, a magical ring gives you the power to slow time in a certain area. In one, a shadow version of yourself in an alternate time-line helps you carry out tasks.

The puzzles are hard. But, and here's the thing... they aren't hard in the way that most puzzles are hard. There is no inventory filled with items of dubious use. There's often only one way to solve a puzzle, but that's not because the developer is spiteful of those trying to solve it a different way, he was just careful in his design. The whole thing doesn't come across as a developer trying to trick you, so much as a developer trying to train you to think in new ways.

The best review of the game play I can think of, comes from a webcomic I don't remember too well, where a game journalist asks the developer "How did you come up with such difficult and interesting puzzles." The scene zooms out to reveal a multidimensional being with many faces, who responds "What puzzles?" If you're thinking about time the way it works in the level, there are no puzzles, only a platform game where you move through time as well as space.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending yet, having JUST completed it, though I do have to admit it was genius. I'm not big on stories that are "open to interpretation." I want to know what happened after I finish a good book, and I want to know what the author was trying to convey. However, I can't say that the story was BAD, just told differently than I'm used to. And many of the text passages were moving beyond belief. It's not a happy ending, and that's something that's hard to get used to, especially in a game, and in a game that came across as so friendly. In the end though, I have to recommend Braid, because it challenges you. And as someone who has yelled at the top of my voice about the 10,000 Halo clones on the market and begged for someone to use a video-game medium to its full story-telling potential, I'd be a hypocrite to denounce a game that dares to do just that. Everyone should play Braid, everyone should play it without a walkthrough, resist the temptation, and ponder the "story" for themselves. And I don't just mean "everyone who likes puzzles" or "everyone who likes video games," I mean everyone.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24848746/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24848746/ Tue, 19 May 2009 22:52:08 PDT
I'm bored. And not the "oh jeez, I don't have anything to do" type of bored. I'm talking about a boredom that pierces the soul and crushes the spirit. I'm talking about the same boredom I've had for 3 years now, waiting, always waiting, for something, ANYTHING interesting to happen, never going anywhere, never DOING anything, or at least anything new. I'm talking about three years where I can count on one hand the number of things I've produced that I've truly been proud of, and those are dubious. I'm talking about three years where my greatest accomplishment outside of DC has been a strictly mediocre at best web page. I'm talking about the fact that I live off my parents' money, can't find a job, can't make work for myself, have to mooch off of friends for money and favors. I'm talking about resenting those friends, not because they've done anything wrong, but because they haven't done anything at all. I'm talking about 21 years of never having a moment, a space, a purchase of my own. I'm talking about taking $30 out of savings once, temporarily, for a personal purchase I wanted to make, and knowing that it'll be questioned by my father, and that he has a right to question it, because it's his money. I'm talking about being constantly disappointed in almost every person I meet, never able to maintain a stable friendship, because I know what nearly ALL people turn out to be in the end: pathetic little robots whose entire identity is defined by whatever circumstances they find themselves in. I'm talking about the fact that those few people who don't fit into that category view me as their lesser because at the end of the day, I've let that happen to me. And I'm talking about the fact that I totally deserve that title, because I've sold out. I've sold my soul, and I don't even know to what. What did I get out of that deal?

I'm talking about having no direction, and no way of finding direction. I'm talking about 4 hours a day spent playing some web browser game, listening to the same 10 songs on repeat because I physically can't bring myself to do anything else anymore. I'm talking about throwing a little temper tantrum because my group refused to meet, or the circumstances turned out wrong, or whatever, when that shouldn't have ever stopped me, ever slowed me down. I'm talking about spending an hour working and being exhausted because I can't remember what hard work feels like. I'm talking about how I used to be able to pull an all-nighter and emerge with a brilliant research paper, an incredible project, whatever, but suddenly the thought of sitting down and working for 3-4 hours straight during the DAYTIME makes me want to collapse.

I'm talking about having no values anymore. Nothing's worth it, nothing's worth the trouble. The last time I truly felt alive, I was saying goodbye to my boss at the OAS, leaving him a list of phone numbers of people who might consider ordering a set of educational videos. I remember sitting in a crappy folding chair with three legs, manipulating 6 cameras at once, navigating 2 to that perfect angle, and one to show Martin the pretty girl in the third row. I remember filming the world's most boring joint secretaries meeting, desperately trying to find the representative from Mexico at the table, Jane sitting next to me at the switchboard planning our wedding while I laughed and rolled my eyes. I remember us spending an extra half-hour organizing tapes in the archive room, just to give the others something to talk about. I remember celebrating the fourth of July with fireworks and hot dogs, and singing at the tops of our lungs, and Martin staying at my apartment because he couldn't get a bus home. (Insert Palpatine here: "He's crying. He's actually crying.")

And my writing. Sweet Raptor Jesus my writing sucks. Used to be I could squeeze out the occasional snippet, a piece of shit, but SOMETHING. But now I can't even write a role playing adventure without being absolutely repulsed by its cliches, its stereotypes, and its mediocrity. Writing was the one thing I had, it was my release... now even that's gone.

Oh, what ever happened to RPing? I'll tell you what happened. So many things. For one, I had an image in my mind: heroic characters fighting the good fight. Instead I get a group of scoundrels, thieves, the best of them just barely able to keep from sinking into utter depravity. And that's the thing. If the characters were truly evil either, I'd be able to work with that. But that's not what I have. I have some good guys, some evil guys, and the vague hope that they'll obliterate each other, so that I can run something with some cohesion. What happened to RPing? Characters turned into snide little bastards eager to mock every aspect and moment of the campaign, dest... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24736618/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24736618/ Wed, 13 May 2009 12:17:21 PDT could potentially be awesome, or could potentially be a massive disaster.

The game itself isn't what I want to discuss with you. As I would hope most of you know, I'm a communications major, which is code for "I whore out my creative mind to whoever pays me the most." It is a possibility that I will one day end up in a marketing department hating myself, and if so, I want to know how to do it properly. And at any rate, until you study commercials, you can't possibly know how many little elements go into their creation. For instance, the music choice in the sex-and-violence trailer for Dragon Age.

Observe:

[link]
Now don't you want to kill yourself? No offense to those of you who actually like Marylin Manson, but this whole thing comes off as a disturbed prepubescent boy's disgusting fantasy. How could the supposed target market for this sort of thing possibly take it seriously? There is nothing redeemable about this trailer at all, right? WRONG!

[link]
How sweet was that? Seriously. There is a game I want to play.

Just thought I'd share.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24713245/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24713245/ Mon, 11 May 2009 23:46:21 PDT
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? Yes, though it was sort of just a standard thing... I didn't have any contraband on me, someone with me did though (that wasn't found either)

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters? And miss the view?

3. When's the last time you've been sledding? been waaaaaaaaaaaay too long. Been skiing recently though... does that count?

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? With someone else... Another body is pretty much the best teddy bear in the world... of course you have to be really comfortable with that person

5. Do you believe in ghosts? Nope

6. Do you consider yourself creative? I was at one point... kind of lost it somewhere... But we can rebuild it. We can make it faster, stronger, better... or something like that.

7. Do you think OJ killed his wife? *Shrug* I wasn't on the jury. Signs definitely point to yes though

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Angelina... though she must have a lot of work done in movies and stuff... her publicity photos are not at all attractive. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of either one.

9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics? I try to stay informed

10. Do you know how to play poker? Yeah, I love it. Though it's been a while, so I wouldn't want to deal for a casino or anything.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? Not sure... probably at one point or another.

12. What's your favorite commercial? The careercenter.com one where the guy punches a koala.

13. Who was your first love? I was "married" to Megan Sullivan in kindergarten... hope that wasn't but SO legally binding, wouldn't want her randomly showing up to claim half my stuff.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light? Nope... though that doesn't really fit my stated chaotic neutral stance, for some reason I'm always worried something's coming.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? I suck at keeping secrets, but I'm sure I could come up with a couple.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Yankees. Yeah, I have an opinion. They've got a better team, get over yourselves.

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? Yeah, I love it.

18. How often do you remember your dreams? Practically never, and the ones I do remember are boring

19. What's the one thing on your mind? That I'm the luckiest son of a bitch I know and I'm not working nearly hard enough to deserve it.

20. Do you always wear your seat belt? yeah. Seat belts save lives people, get over it.

21. What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could play the violin... hey, I could easily learn to play the violin... all I'd need is a violin and a house full of people with infinite patience.

22. Do you like Sushi? Haven't had a lot, but I like a fairly decent portion of what I have had. (I'm not saying MOST or even A LOT of it, just a fairly decent portion)

23. What do you wear to bed? T-shirt usually. If it gets REALLY hot I'll sleep in undies.

24. Do you truly hate anyone? I'm not sure... Yeah... there are probably a couple people who I could say I actually hate. Don't think about them often enough to be sure though.

25. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? Eh, most famous people come off a little shallow to me.

26. Do you know anyone in jail? yup

27. What foods do you find disgusting? Hummus. Just... ew.

28. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? Only if they really deserve it.

29. Have you ever been punched in the face? BEEN punched? No.

30. Do you believe in angels and demons? Nope. Though the concept is fascinating.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24378196/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24378196/ Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:04:28 PDT
Tonight: Complete 2 minute news package of doom... find another interview source, edit footage, write and record voice tracks, write script.

Tomorrow: 4-6 page movie paper due Friday by noon. Research, works cited, all the fun stuff. Also "read" (skim) Computer comm class textbooks and write page long summaries on each (There are two).

Weekend: Find 7 additional stories for group newscast. Find another interview source, get at least 11 minutes of b-roll, record an anchor session with my group, edit 11 minutes of footage (exactly), write a script. Perform content analysis on 3-6 episodes of "The Daily Show" and write 4-6 page paper discussing my findings and comparing them with another source. (This isn't your run-of-the-mill research paper... there's actual research involved)

Monday: Completely redesign the Foreign Language web page and create presentation comparing the current web page with the Foreign Language web pages of at least 3 other schools. Put this into a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation, where I will explain why I chose to make the changes I make. Study for Interpersonal exam.

After completing my Interpersonal Comm exam Tuesday, I've just got my Media Crit exam on Thursday and then I'm home free.

Holy fucking hell

(In other news, I am perfectly content to stoop to your level, and I do not consider revenge beneath me. Don't fuck with me)

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24273628/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24273628/ Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:50:45 PDT
I also want to have a low-stakes poker tournament. And let me explain my reasoning here. It's not because I'm addicted to gambling, though... let's face it, it's a game about math. It's also not because I want to win all of your money (I can't remember ever in my life winning a poker game, though it's been a while since I played). My reasons are a lot weirder than that.

I used to play 5-card draw all the time in middle school. I played occasionally with my parents, with my scout troop, and with my friends at school. We never played for money, it was usually just for fun, sometimes for chores, or most typically for the privilege of hosting the weekly Starcraft game (and getting to choose the all-important map).

The point is this: You never get to know your friends better than when you encourage them to lie to get something they want. It's always interesting to see who's going to fold nearly every hand (my mom did this, and she won almost all the time... sometimes it pays to be cautious), who's going to get waaaaaaaaaay too emotionally involved when they're losing, and who's going to be that guy who raises 4 times in a round with a seven high to maintain a bluff everyone's already seen through (There's always one, it's usually me). It's a game about math, sure, but it's also a game about people. And for once, you have to actively, consciously study those people, read their body language, learn to recognize their excited face, their nervous face, their angry face, even when they're trying not to show it. Plus it's a good excuse to eat pizza, drink... whatever, and have fun with each other while doing something different. So I'm thinking one night instead of wasting money on a movie that turns out to be disappointing, or sitting around playing video games again, maybe we could have ourselves a little $10 tournament. I'll even buy a cheap poker set if we can't find one.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24257764/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/24257764/ Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:08:15 PDT


July 7, 1947- The ocean was glassy and smooth as Dr. Laura Prinket stared out over the New Zealand coast. In the history of all of human existence, there could not have been a more serene moment.

The sun was rising over the Pacific, spreading tendrils of light across the smooth, reflective surface. It was hard to believe that in just a few hours, this serenity would turn to chaos greater than any that could possibly be imagined. She looked back towards her notebook. A single blank page was left.

Laura Prinket's notes, equations, studies, had driven many a man insane already. Her office contained well over a hundred notebooks like the one she held now, every page filled with cramped writing, numbers, and above all else, pictures of the night sky. She must have drawn it a million times from a dozen countries all over the world. She tracked the constellations in their apparent trek across the sky, she noted every time a star appeared or disappeared. She followed the planets, and the planets moons. She collected a thousand holy books from a thousand different "primitive" religions. Her colleagues often laughed about such a strange choice of hobby for an astronomer. She never laughed along. She spent decade after decade in search of something, something she never revealed to anyone. Occasionally she took a partner, but one by one they all quit, more often than not to spend the rest of their lives in a high quality mental institution. That was okay. Dr. Prinket preferred to work alone.

It was September of 1935 when Laura Prinket discovered the date on which the world would end. She did not actively hope for the end of the world, nor did she dread it. She simply cataloged it, thrilled to have solved the greatest problem in all of history. A month later, after checking the math, checking the sky, and checking those ancient texts, she announced her findings to every magazine and periodical she could find. She did not do this in hopes of stopping the inevitable, nor did she do this in hopes of speeding it along. She was simply passing on her knowledge to the rest of the world.

Her statement to the press appeared in a single paper: The New York Sun. It appeared directly beside a grainy photograph of what was supposedly the Lochness Monster.

Her work was popular, however, in the more "backwards" areas of the world. Tribal leaders from Peru, from Zimbabwe, from the backwoods of Australia, and from small, forgotten places all throughout the world treated her as a revered guest, a prophet. It was from them that she learned of the Sleeper in the Sea. Hidden thousands of leagues under the ocean, it was this creature who would awaken when the stars were right and wipe out all of existence. In 1945, she pinpointed the location of the sleeper, a hundred miles off the coast of New Zealand. She enjoyed the hospitality of a radical ocean-based cult for two years, living off of the best they had to offer, treated like a goddess descended from heaven.

Then, right after a religious service on the day before the end of the world, the cult went into a frenzy of violence, the likes of which she had never before seen. Screams and shouts surrounded her, as they maimed and killed and feasted on one another. They stopped speaking, ceased walking upright, they became like animals she thought, only animals kill for food, or domina... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23703142/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23703142/ Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:38:03 PDT 1) Worrying
2) Seriously, Worrying
3) Moderation

This week's been great, I really, really love my girlfriend, and all my other friends too! People are AWESOME! Seriously. I spend so much time bitching and moaning about this or that or whatever, but here's the truth. I love you fuckers. Every single one of you. Even the ones I don't speak to often enough anymore, and the ones I've had fights with, and the ones that I said I hated. THAT WAS A LIE! You annoy me sometimes, but I love you anyway. And I'm sorry for being over-judgemental about your tastes in music, or your significant others, or your motivation, or whatever, because I'm just as, if not more fucked up than all of you sometimes, and I'm still awesome, so that makes you awesomer. Especially Mel. She's Awesomer...er. Anyway, I'm going to go to sleep, and then go back to my awesome-crazy life where I can pretty much do whatever I want with the people I really enjoy being with.

Oh my god, it's a 2 AM entry that's crazy but not crazy depressed. Right, I have to go to church tomorrow. How's that for crazy depressed.

No, by the way, I'm not drunk... though vodka is also awesome.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23424773/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23424773/ Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:54:30 PST I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
near the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.

Fools said I,you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the signs said, the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whispered in the sounds of silence.

-Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23211732/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23211732/ Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:28:52 PST
1) I will take myself and the game too seriously- Sure it's all in good fun, but the point of role-playing is to be somebody else for a while. If I'm not willing to actually become that person when I play, then the whole thing is ruined. Sure, when playing with friends that leaves you open to looking like a complete idiot, but fortunately we play with friends who understand and appreciate what we're trying to do, so there's no need to be embarrassed.

2) I will respect other people's role-playing choices- It's not up to me to decide whether somebody else's character should be serious or funny, good or evil, obnoxious and immature or serious and full of himself. I may find other players' characters pompous, too broadly drawn, badly defined, or irritating. But that doesn't mean they're doing it wrong, they're just doing it differently. So long as they're playing in character, that character is up to them. All I can do is react to those characters the way my character or NPC would react.

3) I will respect the GM's attempt at atmosphere- It is so hard to set a mood of urgency, horror, panic, festivity, etc. As a player, I have to stay in character and do what my character would do, but if I'm a four year old in an epic battle, I need to sink into the background. Likewise, if I'm a heartless bastard soldier during some touching reunion, I need to either find a way of continuing to play my character while keeping that warm fuzzy feeling going or stfu. I will never be that guy attempting to start a fight during another characters' role play or attempting to hijack the scene for myself. Having sat behind the game-master's screen myself I know that some scenes are created to cater more towards specific characters. Let them have their moments.

4) At the same time, I will not let the scene define me- The Game Master doesn't get to decide how your character will react to certain situations. Sometimes characters react to fear with humor, charity with anger, etc. Sometimes characters are upset over something different and therefore they HAVE to be the party-poopers during a festive moment. That doesn't mean they have to kill the atmosphere, just make it their own. As much as it hurts me to say this, the game isn't necessarily about whatever the Game Master wants it to be about. His story can suffer for my character's sake, so long as I don't try to steal it from him. (A good example of this is Iris' refusal to be a part of the climatic moment of the campaign. Not what I intended, but so incredibly true to character I can't fault her for it)

5) I will never be pissy about dying- Like Laer when she was killed in an unfair way, my character might be angry when things go badly for him. But even if my character dies permanently, it's just an excuse to try out a different one. I will never be angry at my GM if I die as a sacrifice to the story.

6) I will use silly voices- If you speak the way you always speak, people react to you as a player instead of a character. Therefore, a silly voice, no matter how bad you are at accents, is highly preferable to your conversational voice. I will not feel embarrassed about my silly voice. I will wear my silly voice proudly, so that people know that when they are talking to me, they're actually talking to my character.

7) I WILL NOT METAGAME- I don't care what the Game Master wants me to do, I'm playing as my character. I will not know anything that my character wouldn't know. I will react to mysteries with surprise. If my character is stupid, I will react with wonder to the casting of spells I've seen a thousand times as a player. I will not try to guess how a scenario will turn out, what my Game Master has planned for next week, or whether doing something he would dislike will result in my ultimate demise.

8) I will spend too long on dialogue- Even a battle-hardened warrior will reveal more about himself in a few minutes of speaking than he will in the heat of battle. Sure, my character's actions should reflect who he is, but dialogue gives myself and my party the chance to know my character. I will not be afraid to spend an entire session talking.

9) I will not reveal all of my backstory right away- not everything about my character needs to be public knowledge. Unless it is called for, I will not monologue about my backstory. It happened a while ago. Why would I want to discuss it all the frickin' time? What's important is what's happening now, and that is where I will focus my attention. Backstory should give my character color, not define him.

10) I will have fun- If it stops being fun, I'll stop playing. I will not ruin the fun for the Game Master or the other players. If I feel like I am ruining their fun, I'll change my style of play. I'll alw... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23193265/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23193265/ Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:34:52 PST
(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
( ) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane

Total: 5


( ) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchor Man
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
(x) Saw II
(x) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far: 13

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 13


(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
( ) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 18


(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
( ) Robots

Total so far: 23

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
( ) Never Been Kissed
( ) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG

Total so far: 25

( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber

Total so far: 26

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( )From Hell
( ) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 30

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
( ) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 33

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George

Total so far: 38

( ) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 41

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3

Total so far: 45


(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
( ) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2

Total so far: 54

( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin

Total so far: 58

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Ind... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23092654/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/23092654/ Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:44:14 PST
Sometimes I think I'm too impulsive, sometimes I think I'm not nearly impulsive enough. So maybe I've got it right.

If anyone wants to do something absolutely insane that will probably end badly, in my experience this usually lasts a month or so.

Life is good.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22692571/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22692571/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:00:44 PST
My first reaction is the reaction I've had this whole time. A reaction of worry. Here we have a junior senator whose only executive position so far was being fake mayor of Chicago and using his power to force Real Estate agencies to give out bad loans in the name of equal treatment. His campaign was not a presidential campaign, but a marketing campaign: carefully designed use of the media and of slogans and posters and symbols. Television ads that played to his calm demeanor and good looks. He did not run this campaign on issues. This was not a battle of ideals, two people standing up at a podium explaining why they believed the way they did. This was an entirely different way of campaigning. It was new, it was fresh, it was different, but don't be fooled, it was marketing. He sold himself to us the same way one would sell toothpaste or breakfast cereal. And that's fine, but it gives me very little insight into what he plans on doing now that he's sold himself to us. I can't help but ask the little questions about the big things: How can a Hamas endorsed United States president ever wield the leverage necessary to keep Israel under control? Will his threats of invasion turn Pakistan into an ally or into a new terrorist state like Iraq? How will we pull off an invasion of Pakistan and a peacekeeping effort in the Sudan and still be able to responsibly finish turning over control of Iraq to the people and continue our efforts in Afghanistan? If the US citizenry is no longer expected to pay for health insurance, who will? Will the health plan work or, like No Child Left Behind, is it stretching too far with too little? When you attack those entrepreneurs making $200,000 a year or more, don't you discourage investment and business development? Won't that give Wal-Mart the advantage? If China is no longer willing to lend to us, where are we going to get the money for your $800,000,000,000 incentive plan that most economists, senior congressional representatives, and you yourself have admitted may not work? How are we supposed to solve the racial rift if we keep permitting special treatment based on race, thereby extending the resentment? The list could go on and on.

On the other hand, once I get past those questions, I can't help but feel cautiously optimistic about today. Not about Obama's election, but about the future of the country. I explained that Obama sold himself like toothpaste or breakfast cereal, but what he was selling was not toothpaste, it was a symbol. And that symbol implies many things, some of which I agree with, some of which I don't. But above all, it implies a country that can look past its disagreements, and see that the people across the aisle are people too. It implies a country where the young and the poor and the helpless do have a voice. This election has made millions of people who were in doubt before feel like part of this country. Maybe it signals the coming of a world where we don't have to say "African American" or "Hispanic American" or "Republican" or "Democrat" but we can just say "American." Obama has people on his cabinet from both sides. He picked republicans for key positions. He did this because he's the president even of people who didn't vote for him. And that tells me that there's a chance this election will bring about some real and desperately needed change in our government. I only hope he can live up to it.


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!

A song, by Russell:

Ron Paul the congressman
was a very frugal soul
with his three piece suit
and his grandpa smile
and a pile of votes stamped no!

Ron Paul the congressman
was insane as he could be
but supporters say
though he acts that way
just look at his doctor's degree

There must have been some truth behind that crazy man's ramblings
For when he ran for president, many million folk agreed

Ron Paul the congressman
had to concede and go his way
But wherever spending
rears its ugly head
He'll be back to shout out "NAY!"

Thumpity Thump thump, Thumpity Thump thump
Join Ron and believe
Thumpity Thump thump, Thumpity Thump thump
He's protecting our Liberties!


Have a nice Inauguration Day everyone, and remember that in most countries today would have involved weaponry of some kind.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22653092/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22653092/ Sun, 18 Jan 2009 12:53:46 PST
]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22617232/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22617232/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:37:10 PST
My roommate told me to stop bitching and go blog about it.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22488567/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22488567/ Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:04:41 PST
Before we get started: Yes, the game has an objectivist theme. Yes, Rapture is based off of the "perfect city" from Atlas Shrugged. Yes, Andrew Ryan's name has several letters in common with a Russian author I have a certain level of affection for. Yes, they did get parts of the objectivist philosophy wrong. Yes, they did get a lot of it right. No objectivist would ever allow a "for your own good" mentality to take over, but the game makes an excellent point in that objectivism leaves no room for human weakness whatsoever. That's your philosophy lesson for the day. MOVING ON!

Bioshock is a survival horror FPS. Your plane crashes in the middle of the ocean, right next to the gates of Rapture. You go inside, get lowered into the city in a tiny little submarine, and are immediately beset upon by a fuckton of crazy bastards.

The descent into the city at full resolution is breath-taking and also crashed my computer. It's a shame too, because Bioshock is a beautiful game from a graphics standpoint, and so much of the game is atmosphere, which is easier to generate when you feel like you're standing right there, and you see the shadows on the walls and the tiny little scampering movements of splicers out of the corner of your eye.

You start off with a wrench, but it doesn't take more than 3-4 levels to obtain a full arsenal of crazy-powerful weaponry which you desperately need. In the first 10 minutes you'll find yourself with a pistol and a machine gun, complaining about being out of ammo.

The defining characteristic of Bioshock is the use of genetic modifications to make yourself into a killing machine, and in this they do an excellent job. There are two different types, Plasmids, which give you awesome super-powers, and Gene Tonics, which make you better at everyday stuff. Plasmids are really what the game is about. There are 10 in total, and with the exception of that retarded cyclone trap that I could never get to work, they are all insanely useful. True, I had my favorites, like the bees or the bees, but I never saw a plasmid and thought to myself "what a rediculous power, when would that ever be useful?" The ones I did use rarely turned out to be the most useful sometimes. There was one I didn't use the whole game, but in a stroke of inspiration, it was one of the main elements that helped me kill the final boss.

Gene tonics also became a bigger part of the game than I thought they were going to be, and it wasn't until I had almost made it through the entire game that I realized that I was playing an RPG. Since I was all about hacking, I opened up all of my engineering slots early on, and it made life much easier, but I could have just as easily stocked up on combat tonics and been a badass gun-toter.

You buy these special powers with ADAM, which is carried by possessed little girls, protected by goddamn bitch-whore motherfuckers, also known as "Big Daddies." Each time you kill a Big Daddy who is guarding a little girl, you have the choice of harvesting the parasite inside them for a ton of adam, thereby killing them, or saving their pathetic asses, but receiving less adam. Slight spoiler, but you should probably go one way or the other, either killing all of them, or saving all of them, because I'm speaking from experience when I tell you this. It sucks to go through the entire game as almost saintly only to get the "bad ending" because you were an ass at one point in the first 10 minutes of play.

The atmosphere makes the game. At times things are completely silent for long stretches, where you're just waiting to be attacked by some bitch in a bird mask with a machine gun. Even if you're expecting it, it still always manages to make you jump. There are only three cut scenes in the entire game, one at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end. Other than that, there's no interruption in the action. Most of the narration comes through audio recordings that you pick up as you explore the city. The whole thing gives you the feeling of a great civilization collapsing in on itself. Huge towering structures being looted, an underwater forest slowly decaying, etc, etc. You're surrounded by insane, adam crazed citizens, so hopelessly addicted to the stuff that they'll kill you just to take it off you. And the game actually simulates that addiction pretty well. Example: A massive machine has a pool of electricity charged water surrounding it. On the machine are about 5 eve hypos (used to power your plasmids). Without a thought, I jumped into the water, dying instantly. Then I did it again.

The coolest thing about bio... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22485791/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22485791/ Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:06:01 PST
In Bioshock, you get a shot gun shell that actually bursts into flame upon impact.

That's it. That's the review.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22395932/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22395932/ Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:15:37 PST
Off to a fairly good start. New Years eve was awesome. Skiing was awesome, and I've gotten better, which is exciting and makes me feel like a badass.

Been playing Bioshock lately, and I'll be reviewing it once I beat it, but so far I do have two important things to say about it.

1) There should be a law against having that many different ways to kill things.

2) The Big Daddy brings new meaning to the phrase "SHIT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!"

Went skating and eating with mel last night, ordered an apple martini for the hell of it. Not the greatest drink ever made. Possibly eligible for the "worst drink ever made" award. Also had deliciousful pasta and cheesecake and skating.

Family just left. Back to Bioshock to take on that mother-fucker again.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22279055/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22279055/ Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:58:47 PST
Alien killing
Drinking game chess
Hilarious something or other
possibly some sort of explosion
woo party.


I'm planning on waking everyone up at 11. I have so far purchased 3 out of 4 lift tickets. That is because Mel has to go (YOU HAVE NO CHOICE! XP) and assuming my brother gets over his latest outbreak of assholitis, he will certainly be joining us. If, on the other hand, I wake craig up and he tells me to fuck off, this way we're not out any money. Also the price club only sells in packs of 3.

I want to leave Craig's by 11:30 and be back at my place by noon. My parents will drive us to Wintergreen. We might stop for lunch, but for the most part, I want to get to wintergreen as quickly and painlessly as possible.

This will put us arriving at wintergreen about 1, and we should be able to get through the (OH SO ENJOYABLE) rental process by 2. that'll leave us with a solid 8 hours of skiing, not including dinner.

We'll be driving back the same night, and should be home by midnight.

If you guys want to leave earlier, the passes are good from 12:30 until 10, so that is completely doable, just let me know.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22206611/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22206611/ Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:33:52 PST
-Socks and underwear
-A fuckton of cash locked in a puzzle box that was disappointingly easy to solve
-Barnes and Noble gift-cards to be spent on Barnes and Noble items probably within the week
-New jeans, new shirt
-some dvc tapes for school
-the complete Firefly series
-an I-Pod
-$30 in I-tunes cards
-a random magazine subscription
-a chess drinking game to be played on new years
-a delicious though difficult chicken quesadilla from applebees and strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

Right, there you go.

So I'm really glad we got to have Christmas at home this year. It was nice to have the house full of people for once, and everyone seemed to be having a good time, and there were little kids and one of them got a puppy who was a little too friendly with poor Al, and all the random cousins and aunts showed up, and it was great.

Plus, even though she was a little pissed off about not being able to come home for christmas, grandma seemed almost lucid. I need to go over there a couple more times before break's over. I was personally in favor of taking her to our house in the safest way possible, against doctor's advice. But then, that's why I'm not a doctor.

So christmas, pretty okay.

I expect to see lots of all of you in the weeks to come. Or else.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22160338/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22160338/ Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:28:30 PST
One thing that I feel the need to discuss with you people is the subject of Christmas music, or as I like to call it "Fa la la la la" syndrome. I mean, I get it. Holiday music is festive. It's happy. What it is not is good. I can count on one hand the number of Christmas songs I actually enjoy listening to just because they're good. And this wouldn't be an issue, except for the fact that if you listen to anything other than Christmas music at any point in the entire holiday season, you're considered a Scrooge.

But, I have moved on. I am able to embrace this tradition of listening to crappy music for the hell of it, and I'm even encouraging all of you good boys and girls out there to record your OWN christmas songs. Here I've included a step by step guide to writing and performing your own Pop Christmas song:

1) Find a singing partner of the opposite sex. One of you should have some singing ability, but this is not an absolute requirement.

2) Sing one verse of a popular christmas classic a capella. If you can find a children's choir to do this, so much the better.

3) Have some band member ring/jingle bells. It's best if this guy has NO other part in the band, since he's going to be doing this incessently through the whole song.

4) Generic drum beat

5) the lead instrumentalist (keyboard prefered) should play some generic chords OR blatantly rip off a christmas classic.

6) Have your strongest singer sing a line of your song. The lyrics don't necessarily have to have anything to do with christmas, but it should involve A) Peace on Earth, B) cold, or C) the word Christmas, Holiday, or December 25 at least once during the song.

7) Have your weaker singer just repeat every line the other guy sings.

8) Don't try too hard. Remember, nobody can criticize your song without missing out on the "true spirit of christmas."

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22052082/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/22052082/ Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:41:47 PST
...yeah, I'm not going. That is a retardedly rediculous idea, the pure bullshit idiocy of which I cannot express in mere words. I might go visit grandma. The people at the nursing home say that it's a really bad idea to try to move her, so she can't come to our house.

How does this sound for the ski trip, craig and mel? Assuming you guys aren't working, we hang at craig's house for new year's eve, do party stuff, and then go on to ski during new year's day. Just a thought.

Was really sort of disappointed with how the D&D adventure went, it was supposed to be much more epically badass, though I do think we got some good stuff from it. Sorry for the whole "death" thing.

Anyway, the remains of the computer is barely put together and matthew's hovering and I'm supposed to be cleaning the house for the christmas that will not be.

Bleh, for christmas you should buy me a one-way ticket to anywhere the fuck else. Away from crazy people.

So yeah. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

PS. I may or may not have computer access later this evening or tomorrow. Please direct all inquiries or requests to my cell phone via text messaging or *gasp* actual phone calls that require some sort of personal context. It might be difficult, but it's a mission I know and believe in my hearts you can take on.

PPS. Yes, hearts. I have more than one. It helps pump the blood to the extra brain.

PPPS. No, the extra brain is not in my penis.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21923393/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21923393/ Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:10:54 PST
So, after that... who's up for D&D monday? I'm really excited about this upcoming session, it's something that I've been planning for a long time. Originally, the idea was that it would challenge my players in terms of combat, but my priorities as a DM are changing a lot.

There are a lot of particular reasons for that. Last session was the best we've ever had, and I had nothing to do with that. It was the intense level of roleplay that you guys brought to the table. It was the fact that you stayed in character literally the whole game. Jokes were made in-character, fights were fought in-character, really stupid, somewhat crazy things were done in-character, and I'm glad I got to reward you guys for doing that instead of punishing you.

I've also started running a Cthulhu campaign, and, frankly, I like the lack of combat to a degree. Relax, we are still killing shit, but I've always felt like I was pushing you guys through the roleplaying segments to get to the next encounter, and... let's stop doing that. You guys roleplay away. I'll bring a book.

I also need to work on characterizing my NPCs. Now, the evil spider-man who you killed last week (his name was Gongoroth, like you care) doesn't need a whole backstory, but I really feel like I've failed when it comes to Captain Warde and Father McKinley and Gramash. Warde doesn't have any character at all, and you all view McKinley as some sort of evil creature, when he's really a quite good man, he's just old, and grumpy, and prejudiced, and unpleasant.

So, next mission is about roleplay. Let's roleplay our hearts out. After all, it's a role playing game.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21862141/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21862141/ Sun, 07 Dec 2008 09:45:30 PST
But it was nice. We went to dinner, we watched two REALLY good movies (Edward Scissorhands and A Beautiful Mind). Despite the giant "RUSSELL IS CELEBRATING HIS ANNIVERSARY" written on the whiteboard, we still had people come knocking every 30 minutes or so, which was obnoxious as hell, but my roommate's a popular guy, whatchya gonna do?

Twas awesome. It's nice to have an excuse to kick everyone out and spend time alone on occassion. Love you mel-sama.

P.S. You left your chocolates here. Food left in this room tends to get eaten, just fair warning.

In other news, I have two days, 4 drawings, 3 tests, 2 short papers and a video project to do. Think I'll go do some of that.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21824071/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21824071/ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:31:07 PST [link]
[link]
[link]

The fucking universe is talking to me. What's up with that? Why would webcomics suddenly cease to be funny and instead become eerily dark and accurate analyses of my life.

DEAR UNIVERSE! STOP READING MY DIARY! I'M NOT OKAY WITH IT!

In other news, some quotes from the call of Cthulhu campaign:

"So your name would be..."
"Strawberry Daqueri"
"...okay then Strawberry"
"Miss Daqueri, please."

"Ah, so you're a 28 year old male hobo named Oscar..."
"Yeah, that sounds fun."

"I think the hobo is cute."
"You realize the hobo is a guy, right?"

"She doesn't seem like she wants to talk"
"Does she want some whiskey?"
"...Why yes, yes she does. She seems more interested in talking now"

"I think you'd better leave"
"What'd we do?"
"Attempted to give a patient under severe emotional distress alcohol. What were you thinking?"
"Maybe that... maybe that it would loosen him up?"
"OUT!"

"I would prefer not to leave the children entrusted to my care alone with a group of strangers."
Miss Daqueri: "Maybe we could spend some time upstairs?"
"Your Uncle Charlie will be RIGHT back kids."

"Jeffery, would you like some cookies?"
"Sure."
"Would you like some whisky?"
"Congratulations you have accomplished making Jeffery throw up on the floor."

"As you enter the church-yard, you get a strange feeling in the back of your head, like the beginnings of a headache."
"I RUN!"
"okay, do the non-cowards continue?"

"I want to read the books!"
"No! I'm a fucking librarian."
"Are you guys honestly arguing over who gets to read a book in Call of Cthulhu?"
"...You know what, you're the librarian."

"The room is creepy and cold. There's an old stove in the corner."
"We light a fire in the stove"
"Now the room is creepy and warm"

"You tumble comically down the stairs for 1d4 damage."

"Roll 1d10 to see how many sanity points you lose for shooting Miss Daqueri in the face."



Current status of players:

Diplomat: Broken Arm, Sprained ankle, many minor cuts and bruises, shoved out of house by possessed bed.

Librarian: Bad bump to the back of the head, Broken leg.

Stripper: Shot in the face (Apologies to Chelisa)

Oscar the Hobo: Fairly insane at this point after accidentally shooting his friend in the face.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21818961/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21818961/ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:31:12 PST Just tryin' to keep it in line
You say you wanna move on and
You say I'm falling behind

Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?

I never really gave up on
Breakin' out of this two-star town
I got the green light
I got a little fight
I'm gonna turn this thing around

Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?

The good old days, the honest man;
The restless heart, the Promised Land
A subtle kiss that no one sees;
A broken wrist and a big trapeze

Oh well I don't mind, if you don't mind
'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine
Before you go, can you read my mind?

It’s funny how you just break down
Waitin' on some sign
I pull up to the front of your driveway
With magic soakin' my spine

Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?

The teenage queen, the loaded gun;
The drop dead dream, the Chosen One
A southern drawl, a world unseen;
A city wall and a trampoline

Oh well I don't mind, if you don't mind
'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine
Before you jump
Tell me what you find when you read my mind

Slippin’ in my faith until I fall
You never returned that call
Woman, open the door, don't let it sting
I wanna breathe that fire again

She said I don't mind, if you don't mind
'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine

Put your back on me
Put your back on me
Put your back on me

The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun
When you read my mind

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21812940/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21812940/ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:35:13 PST
]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21703510/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21703510/ Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:23:31 PST
Here goes:

I'm thankful for mel, who's been willing to put up with my not-infrequent freakouts this year, and without whom I'd probably be fairly low on sanity points right now.

I'm thankful for craig, who risks life and limb and his valuable chainsaw gun to revive my poor Dom, even though he's a whiny bitch.

I'm thankful for cheesecake, because it exists. Also, ski lodges.

I'm thankful for roleplaying games, because they let me get out of my head for a little while.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21611473/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21611473/ Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:44:28 PST
Ever since history began to be recorded, there have been men who have sacrificed themselves for those who were beloved to them. Consider the story of Helen of Troy, and how Prince Paris fight to protect her from being returned to King Menelaus. How much more should Hulk protect his Helen of Troy from certain doom? Consider how Odysseus fight to return home to his beloved Penelope for ten years, and then, after all of his trials, killed every one of her oppressive suitors. How much more, how much harder Hulk fight for Betty, destroy all things that seek to cause her harm. It is in our very nature to fight for ourselves and those we are closest to, an evolutionary tool which perpetuates the species. Hulk not fight his natural instinct to protect the ones he love. Hulk fight only puny super-soldier Blonsky, and fight the way he know best; smashing.

Puny super-soldier Blonsky not only threaten Hulk’s beloved, but also the entire city. Hulk fight to protect all of humanity from new abomination caused when puny super-soldier Blonsky combine reflex and strength-enhancing serum with Hulk’s own genetic material. Hulk not usually one to quote Machiavelli, however, Machiavelli correct when he say, “One ought never to allow a disorder to take place in order to avoid war, for war is not thereby avoided, but only deferred to your disadvantage.” If Hulk no smash puny super-soldier Blonsky here, he will be forced to fight him much later, when Blonsky has grown powerful, and less puny. As puny super-soldier Blonsky already match or exceed hulk in strength and speed, Hulk must take every advantage in order to put an end to Blonsky’s rampage. Now, at this decisive moment, Hulk have excellent opportunity to smash Blonsky once and for all, and Betty suggest Hulk not take it? No! Hulk smash puny super-soldier Blonsky for over-all, long-term good of human race!

Lastly, Hulk genetically and environmentally conditioned to smash when he feel threatened. It is acclaimed democratic writer Frances Moore Lappe who say, “I've grown certain that the root of all fear is that we've been forced to deny who we are.” Hulk, as an entity contained in a different body, have even more difficult time of discovering who Hulk is. Hulk only know that he have great strength, and great reflexes, and powerful desire to smash. Will Betty rob Hulk of one thing which allows him to know who he is? Hulk hope not.

Hulk smash things which are evil and unrighteous. Hulk never smash upright citizens, Hulk even take care to avoid the smashing of innocent civilians. But when a great evil rise up against the entire city, why should Hulk be deprived of his need to smash, especially when his smashing will remove such an evil from the world? Hulk hope he has convinced those listening of the righteousness of his smashing, and will leave them with these parting words: “GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21588647/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21588647/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:12:57 PST
"although it is nice of you to make vegetarian dishes available at your dinner parties, I don't see why you expect vegetarians to have meat dishes at their parties for meat eaters. Most vegan and vegetarians follow their diet for moral reasons, primarily becase they think it is morally wrong for one to eat the flesh of sentient beings. Meat eaters are not morally against eating vegetables or something that doesn't contain animal bi-products. So while eating vegetables (and as a consequent providing vegetarian dishes) is not against your morality, it is against a vegetaian's morality to eat meat and, of course, to support the eating of meat."

I have some vegetarian friends, and I don't have any problem with their views. In fact, I admire their dedication to their cause. But it is a life choice, as is the choice to eat meat. I'm not saying they should be forced to cook meat at their dinner parties, but if you don't accommodate other people's lifestyle, what could possibly cause you to expect them to accommodate yours? What is WRONG with you people? I dunno, any thoughts?

Anyway, think the flu's mostly past. For those of you who don't know, I've been on bedrest for a day and a half, and it's kind of a bitch. But got to catch up on my sleep and my reading (though I'm hopelessly behind on schoolwork, you have no idea).

And I'm writing again, which is exciting.

Also, the damn semester's almost over! It's supposedly snowing in a lot of places in Virginia. Anyone want to go skiing?

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21419659/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21419659/ Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:30:32 PST
For the love of GOD appoint a secretary of the treasury. I know you're new to this, so let me give you a tip. People tend to act retarded when they don't know what's going on. Tell them who's in charge of their money. PLEAAAAAAAAAAASE? Maybe then the stock market will stop free-falling, and we can concentrate on all that social progress you've been talking about. Jesus, you're not even in office yet, it's too early to start fucking up.

Sincerely,
Russell


So yeah, things are good here!

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21335224/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21335224/ Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:25:43 PST
Meh, it's over until he takes office.

Tune in tomorrow for "HULK SMASH" a treastise by Hulk.

PS. I've recently discovered a latent fascination with the band ABBA. Does this mean I have to turn in my penis? How will I open jars?

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21170348/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21170348/ Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:41:48 PDT
We are faced in this election with an impossible choice. It's better this year than it's been in the past, and that's the sad part. You have a choice between a mild socialist and a very competent but very old man who's been transformed by this election into everything he hates. His running mate is a VERY scary lady.

I don't believe that McCain will run for reelection, it would be selling his party short. And I believe he's still got 4 good years in him. If you're going to vote for a lesser of two evils, it's him. But he's still owned by an anti-freedom party. He had no choice, he had to do it to get elected, but that doesn't change the fact that he's promised not to support abortion rights or homosexual marriage rights. He still supports the Patriot Act and the Abolition of Habeus Corpus. I think there are more important issues. I think that in a climate where we're standing on the brink of a depression and complete national bankruptcy, where we're sending millions of dollars overseas to China so they can exploit genocides in third world countries in order to become rich and powerful despite their abysmal human rights record, the social issues take a backseat.

That doesn't mean I think they SHOULD. That doesn't mean I think they can wait. That simply means that if you're going to waste your vote on one of our HORRIBLY anti-freedom candidates, it should be the old man with the scary vice president. The other choice is an international depression (either now or in future generations when the debt finally catches up with us) and a badly thought out and entirely avoidable military involvement with pakistan. We need privitization, we need freedom, Obama stands for the opposite of that.

Neither choice is good or even acceptable. The only acceptable vote is a vote for a third party. I know some of you lean MUCH more liberal than me, and while I strongly disagree, I understand. Thank you for not claiming to be "in the middle" or "moderate." But that still doesn't excuse a vote for a man whose top contributers are the very people profiting from the destruction of the country. Lobbyists own Obama too, don't let him fool you.

The mainstream news has decided they like Obama. I don't blame them, and I don't blame the "liberal media bias." Obama makes a MUCH better story than McCain. He doesn't have a bloated, monsterlike face, and it's fun and pleasant to put him on television. He has a presence that plays well to cameras. He's an attractive, articulate, and historical candidate who will make an attractive, articulate, and historical president. The media has every reason to give him more screentime.

It's your job, as a discerning public, to see through that. It's your job to read the newspaper articles that list his top contributers. It's your job to find out that Citigroup, who acquired millions of customers out of the bailout is Obama's fourth largest campaign contributer. The first three are other banks. They can give more money due to the fact that Obama did the "Noble thing" and refused to take government money, a loophole McCain tried to close years ago.

Government is corrupt. More government is more corrupt. The major parties have had a long time to consolidate power, and they WILL keep consolidating. If you think that you're excersizing some type of "freedom" by voting for one of them, you're wrong. They've insured that there is no freedom, except the choice between two liberty stealing powerhouses.

For those of you who "sit between the two extremes," I'm sorry to see so many victims of the myth that moderation is always good. I have to ask you what two extremes you sit between. What do you believe the purpose of government is? Do you sit between the extremes of a party who wishes to consolidate power and another party who wishes to consolidate power?

Government doesn't exist on a scale. In order to have government, you need a definition of government. What is your definition? If you were offered the choice between a fascist regime and a not-so-fascist regime, would you still look for a middle ground? You need your own definition of what you believe government should do before you can make an informed decision. That can't be defined simply by saying "Well it's between whatever the two groups in charge say." Not everything is good in moderation. Liberty is not good in moderation. I don't want to choose a middle ground between freedom and slavery, I want to be part of a free society.

The only worthwhile vote is a vote for a third party. Voting for either major party is a waste of a vote. They both want the same thing, they'll both lead us to the same ultimate destruction.

"But," you're all saying, "a vote for a third party is just a vote for (insert least favorable candidate here). They don... ]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21008799/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/21008799/ Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:56:20 PDT
They say character is who you are when nobody's watching. And when the best friend is working 6 nights in a row, and the rest of the floor is busy with homework or each other, and the girlfriend is raiding for epic lewtz, and I'm all alone, I'm not used to enjoying myself (get your heads out of the gutters, you know what I meant). Just sitting around working on a project, or reading, or whatever, is something that I do to pass the time, and make it go by faster. But here's the thing, I enjoy my company. Now that sounds egotistical and jackassish, but I actually do, because I like who I am. I like my thoughts, and my feelings, and the work I'm doing, and the books I'm reading, and it turns out that I have far more in common with me than I ever guessed I did.

It's not laziness or crippling fear of people that makes me unable to socialize anymore. I don't spend my time alone because I have to. I don't spend as much time alone as I did at one point. But I ENJOY the time I spend alone. It's not a thing of relaxing, or taking a break from other people, because I love other people. It's a thing about spending time on the things I want to do, and the projects that are important to me. It's a novel concept to me that I should enjoy the things I do for myself.

So the moral of the story is, spend some time alone with yourself. See if you like you. If you do, my congratulations, if you don't, who is it you're trying to impress?

]]> ~undergroundwalruss http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/20821824/ http://undergroundwalruss.deviantart.com/journal/20821824/ Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:50:37 PDT
She was old, and she didn't have to spend a long time in pain, and I'm grateful for that.

I'll probably be unavailable for a few days, and I don't know when the funeral is yet.

Cell's on.

]]> ~undergroundwalruss