Re: Personal problems

I really don't like to write things here about my personal life if I can help it. The obvious exceptions are anecdotes that I think might be funny or at least enjoyable by someone. Of course, most of my life isn't that interesting, and so I have relatively little to write here. However, I feel tonight should break with tradition, if only to let people know what's going on.

To put it simply, I've been having a rough sort of depression relapse. I'm having a very hard time finding the will to even get out of bed in the morning. I think it's hard to describe to someone who hasn't experienced it, but suffice to say it's pretty amazing I haven't killed myself yet. I'm sure I have something to live for, but I'll be damned if I can think of what it is.

So, it's starting to look like I might be taking a break from school. I don't know yet what's going to happen, but it's fairly certain that I'm not graduating in May at this rate. So, I guess I don't know what's next for me. I'm getting some blood work done tomorrow, going to see a new doctor, maybe get some counseling. Other than that, it's a mystery.

Really, I hate this. I know how this must look to most people, and I feel totally pathetic, but this mess has gotten out of control. I'm not just depressed; there is something clinically wrong with me. Nobody should feel this way all the time for no reason.

Anyway, I'm hoping I'll find a way to turn this into something good. If I end up taking some time off, I'll try to make the most of it, either writing or drawing. I don't know, I just don't want to waste my damn life forever. In the meantime, though, I guess I'm sitting in front of the computer like an ass playing Castle Age and growing a beard. Could be worse, I guess. I could be playing World of Warcraft.

Re: the RP stigma

This hopefully won't come as a shock to anyone, but I'm a total dork. As such, I feel right at home in online fantasy worlds like IMVU, and feel a certain kinship with roleplayers, or RPers if you're just too busy to write the damn word out.

Okay, so there's this poll going around about whether roleplayers deserve to have a subforum of their own on the IMVU forums. This would give them a place to discuss all things RP-related without being bothered by anyone, and without their discussions bothering anyone else.

Click to View the Poll

Regardless of what you think of roleplaying, this isn't rocket science. There are people on the forums who don't want roleplayers discussing their storylines, characters etc. in the Misc section or other parts of the forum where it's not really relevant, and the roleplayers want to have a central place where they can discuss their RP stuff without getting hassled (creating individual groups for this purpose hasn't been cutting it). Adding a subforum for roleplay-related discussion would make everyone happy.

Now, I could leave it at that, but I'll go one further and explain why the harassment these folks are getting is undeserved. If you don't care, feel free to stop reading now. Just go vote on that poll if you have an account, as it would be helping a good cause.

Here's the thing: a lot of people have this twisted perception of what "roleplaying" is. When some people hear the word roleplay, they immediately think of sex. Others may think of LARPers and DnD nerds dressing up as elves and doing creepy things in their parents' basement. The fact is, while those kinds of people might fall under the umbrella of "roleplaying", the term has a much broader definition.

Roleplaying is basically any time where you make up a fictional character (or characters) in a fictional setting and act out that character, typically in writing when we're referring to roleplay on the Internet. It's kind of like writing a fiction novel, but in multiplayer form. And there are all kinds of roleplay. Some people like to act out sexual fantasies with made up characters, while others just enjoy the writing exercise and the communities of people they meet.

The bottom line is, we all enjoyed playing make-believe as kids. Some of us are just under the ridiculous impression that it stops when we grow up. It doesn't. Actors and writers get payed to do it every day. And we do it whenever we watch, read, etc. What are movies, books and tv if not playing make-believe?

The truth is, a lot of people like to use their imagination, to imagine themselves in another person's shoes, in another time and place. This is what roleplaying is. Whether it's elves and orcs, angels and demons, or just plain old humans doing more interesting things than what you're doing right now. RPers are not freaks or sexual deviants or anything (most of them aren't, anyway >_>). For the most part they're just ordinary people who have a taste for the extraordinary.

So, yeah, to sum up, roleplayers are not all freaks. If you think so and treat them as such, you're a dickhead. Let them have their own forum section and quit being so god damn intolerant. "There are two kinds of people in this world I cannot tolerate: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch."

Another Lazy Update

What can I say? I have a lot of respect for Zach Weiner. He really has some powerful insights once in a while. Go read his comic if you're not already.

Re: Nov. 2nd

Did I vote today? No. Did I so much as find the motivation to leave my room today? Only to go to the bathroom once. You know, I hate to sound pathetic, but that's kind of how I'm feeling lately. I don't know if it's a problem with my meds or what, but it's getting harder to just get out of bed in the morning, or at all.

Of course, it doesn't help much that the political landscape is about as barren and depressing as it was this time 2 years ago. At least then we had Obama to be excited about. What is there now? I can't turn the tv on without seeing more ridiculous campaign ads trying to warp my perceptions of people. I'd be thrilled out of my mind if a candidate would just come forward and say what all their policies are, and the closest thing we've had to that was Basil Marceaux.



It's funny, really. In a sick sort of way. This basically describes our choices doesn't it? Go to the polling place and decide, do you want the country run by self-serving assholes or incompetent morons? Anyone with half a brain and a sense of morality became a doctor or fireman or something. They all stayed the hell out of politics.

Well, as much as I hate the prospect, I think I might just have to run for public office after all. Not now, obviously, but in my thirties when people might take me seriously. I don't want to be in charge of anything, and my time running a club on campus has proven I'm not entirely competent, but I have yet to see someone else come forward who I would entrust with our country's future.

Anyway, that's enough of my rambling tonight. Let me just close by saying this: do as I say and not as I do. Go vote if you haven't already. Of course if you're reading this it's probably too late anyway, but I felt I had to say it. Half the reason we have such awful people in charge is that the average person just doesn't care. The fact is, we have to care if we want things to ever get any better. So vote when you can, and pay attention to the political landscape. Do some research of your own on candidates you might like. If everyone can just start caring a little more, maybe we'll live up to the expectations of the greatest country in the world again.

As for me, I'm having a hard enough time caring whether I live or die, so don't look to me for advice on politics. Peace and love, all. Have a nice day, and uh, have a nice day.

Re: Kristen

She's freaking cool and stuff. So yeah. Her blog is linked to in the sidebar somewhere. Go read it. I'm serious, do it right now. Why are you still reading this? Get your mouse over there and click, dammit.

Re: Reactions

I guess this is a new feature with blogger. "New" meaning anything that's been added in like a year because I'm clueless. Anyway, posts now have little reaction buttons at the bottom, so if you like a particular post and want me to write more like it, click the button that seems appropriate.

EDUT: Assuming I get them to work, that is.

Re: Popularity

I'm wondering now what's better, to have millions of people think you're kind of cool, or to have a few select people think you're the coolest person ever. My knee-jerk reaction is to say the latter, but then having an exclusive fan club doesn't exactly translate to book sales, does it?

Anyway, I'm in an odd mood right now, so I thought I'd share. I'm realizing lately that, when communicating with people through means other than face-to-face conversation, I'm actually pretty fun to talk to. This is really no big surprise. I mean, even years ago I remember Jordan saying how I sound so much different on my blog than in person. (Incidentally, I wonder if he's still reading this...) I guess it just struck me recently how true this is for digital media in general.

I'm not going to go into specifics, but through no serious effort of my own, I seem to have become well liked by a handful of people I've never actually met. Which is cool in its own way, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe it should stay that way. Our having never met, I mean. I have this sinking feeling that if I were to meet any of these people in person, I would find a way to undo any positive image they had of me. It's funny, that by being myself online I am easily likable, but in real life I just don't have that capacity. I don't know why. I'd blame the depression, but that seems too easy. (I of course type this as I'm popping my second Prozac for the day)

So, here's the thing: again, I won't go into specifics, but someone I met online and I have been talking about meeting up at some point. I originally really liked the idea, but the more I think about it, the more I worry that whatever weird funk I have hanging over my head will overshadow any and all of my positive qualities. I'd hate to lose a friendship, but I feel like that's what is likely to happen if we meet. To meet me in person is essentially to see the worst side of me. Or one of the worst sides, anyway.

The bottom line is, I'm freer online to express myself, to show my best side. In real life, that side can be hard to see, especially when I'm still struggling with this whole depression thing. It's not really something I want to accept, even if it inevitably a part of me that will never go away completely. I don't really know what else to say about this, except that, if anyone is reading this, I hope you can recognize there is more to me than what I appear to be in person. A lot more. I think if we got to know each other well you'd see the better side of me more often, but that takes time, and somehow I don't think everyone wants to wait that long.

Whatever. I'm rambling now, so I'll sign off for tonight. One last unrelated thing I'll mention: ITPI is having a pre-Halloween party thing on Oct. 24th, so if you're in Utica, come join us in the Adirondack Lounge around 8pm. People who spend any time on campus before then will probably see some posters soon. I actually put a little effort into this one, so I'm going to try to get as many printed as I can manage. There'll be scary movies and candy. I'm getting a ouiji board, because hell, why not? It should be a good time.

I guess that's it. I'll post again whenever the mood strikes me. In the meantime, peace and love, y'all.

Re: Social updates

It's probably worth noting that, while I rarely update this blog anymore, my Twitter is fairly current. I'm not one of those people who updates 8 times a day, don't worry. I just throw out little tweets about things when the mood strikes me. So anyway, if anyone really wants to know what I'm currently up to, you can follow @danmayerisgod. Likewise, I'm on Facebook a lot (damn you Backyard Monsters and your addictiveness). Feel free to add me.

Oh, and I went to a Nickelback/Buckcherry/3 Days Grace concert on Wednesday night. While it was a lot of fun, I don't recommend going to concerts in the middle of the week, particularly if you have shit to do the next day. It doesn't end well.

So, yeah, that's all I wanted to say. Peace and love, you crazy kids.

Re: Replies

Haven't gotten many. Maybe it relates to the lack of posts. Anyway, a few things to talk about. First, my birthday's coming up. Don't bother getting me anything. I'm not wild about the idea of commemorating something as inconsequential as my birth.

I'm going back to SUNYIT on Saturday. At that point, the IT Paranormal Investigators will be restarting, and hopefully I'll get a jump on a good visit this time. If not, we still have the option of having a seance and/or hitting each other with nerf weapons. The two are not related.

If you hadn't heard, I am working on my webcomic. I'm just really lazy and unmotivated, so it's not coming along quickly. Not to jinx myself, but I think I'll be ready to launch the site by Christmas. That includes having a backlog of pages, though.

Other than that, I still seem to be perfecting the art of being antisocial on social networking sites. Between Facebook, IMVU and TinierMe, I'm not sure how many friends I have that I never talk to. I wonder what will happen when I have to interact with people face-to-face again. I mean, the Meals on Wheels job gave me some experience with idle conversation, but I still have no idea what to say to girls that I'm attracted to. Could I be any more of a perpetual dork? I swear, it's amazing how many insecurities and pubescent hang-ups I still have with me. And it's weird, because for all my crippling flaws, I still not-so-secretly think I'm the coolest human being that ever lived. You don't get that much contradiction from a Scotch-Korean. Go figure.

I'm also starting to use twitter again, but my sole reason for doing so is trying to get on the Tosh.0 blog and/or the tv show. It's not even like I myself would be featured; we're talking about something I said on the Internet reappearing elsewhere on the Internet. It shouldn't be a big deal. And yet, I love Tosh.0, I think Daniel Tosh and his writers are geniuses, and I daydream about having my own web redemption, which is weird since I've never really had an epic Internet failure. All my videos are crap, and they never get watched. Nobody reads this tripe I'm spewing on my blog. Why else do you think I stopped posting here? Did you think I'd gotten a life? Like hell.

Anyway, I'm just rambling now, so I guess I'll sign off. Just one last thing: I might be doing some stand-up at an open mic night this Friday. It's at the Rolling Stone pub in Burnt Hills, so on the off chance anyone I know from the area is reading this, come see me sometime around 8ish on Friday night. Maybe we can catch up and I can pretend to remember who you are. It might be fun.

Alright, that's enough of that. Peace and love, you crazy kids.

Re: Anniversary

My parents are off celebrating their wedding anniversary, and they'll be gone until Wednesday. They've been together some 30 years now. God, they're so old. I love them, though.

Meanwhile, my little sister plans on throwing a raging party while they're gone. I'll have to try to keep things under control. As long as the cops don't show up, I'll be happy.

Not much else going on at the moment. Hopefully I'll have some exciting news soon. By "exciting," I mean mildly interesting. And by "soon," I mean before Christmas.

Re: Life (Updates)

Strap in, because for once I have a lot to talk about.

Well, I finally did it. I shaved off my beard. So, I now get to look even younger than I did before. Ladies, the next move is yours.

Also, it appears that I don't suck at drawing quite as much as I thought. I'm getting better with practice, so my idea about doing a webcomic is actually coming closer to reality. I have a deviantart profile set up as a base of operations for now, at least until I decide on a place to host the strips. You can see a couple early sketches there now. I'll update here and elsewhere when my bastard brainchild finds a home.

And I'm back to working with Home Delivered Meals, if I didn't mention that already. I was supposed to be signed up for 3 mornings a week, but I keep getting asked to fill in, and I can't really say no because I need the money. Two hours and change baking in the morning sun can really take a lot out of me, so I don't like doing a lot of days in a row. Counting today, this weekend and next week, I'll have 6 days in a row. I know it seems like I shouldn't complain about such a short job, but I have to do a lot of running around town in those two to three hours, not to mention dealing with the occasional person who's less than happy to see you. And did I mention, Schenectady sucks. I'm covering someone's route this weekend, so that's two straight days right in the thick of it. My normal weekday route through the Niskayuna area isn't too bad (aside from that one guy who seems to be the bane of every other driver's existence). Maybe I'm just a wimp. Meh.

Oh, and incredibly, I still haven't gotten tired of TinierMe. I don't know why, but I like it. I've met some cool people, and I like collecting different clothes and crap, and playing the occasional games. If you care, my name on there is Tycoonius, and I accept pretty much all friend requests. To me, rejecting a friend request is insulting. Adding them as a friend and then quietly deleting them later is so much sneakier, and doesn't give me a guilt trip.

On the gaming front, I'm still married to my Wii. I still haven't tried to finish Muramasa yet, but I think I'll get to it eventually. In the meanwhile, the Hollywood Video near my house went out of business and I raided their collection before they closed. 3 games for about $30; not bad. Manhunt 2, I've been glued to that for a while now. I don't play every day, but often enough to say I'm really into it. The other two are de Blob, which is fun but just reeks of communist propaganda, and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. If the first game didn't cement it in you mind, this game confirms that NiGHTS is in fact the most androgynous character ever conceived. His/her voice actor is one of those female actors who usually does voices for young boys because she has a bit of masculinity in her tone. It's impossible to tell whether NiGHTS is intended to be a guy, a girl, or neither. Weirdness. On the bright side, Reala is still a bad-ass.

Here's another thing I remembered recently: you know that idea I had about a sport that would basically simulate a fighting game? Well, since discovering the wonder that is Nerf weapons, I'm starting to think this could really work. Come on, who wouldn't want to whack their friend with a nerf sword? And it would be good for anyone who has ever considered LARPing for the fights but was turned off by the dorky costumes. I really think this could catch on. I'm going to try to put a group together at SUNY IT in the fall, but if anyone wants to try this out before then, you know where to find me.

And guess what? George Thorogood and the Destroyers, whose show I attended last year, are coming back to Albany this August, and I roped the whole family into going with me. That should be fun. Now, I just wish I could get Nickelback/3 Days Grace/Buckcherry tickets... We'll see I guess.

Also, fuck you Facebook. Fuck you and your addictive apps and your viral invites. I swear, I will quit altogether one of these days, but for now Castle Age keeps pulling me back in.

And speaking of online games, BvS has had a ton of updates (McMasters got me hooked on mahjong), with more on the way. I'm still playing daily and loving it all. If you like simple browser-based games at all and/or consider yourself an anime fan (ie. if you either love or hate Naruto), give it a look. If you sign up, enter my guy's name in the referral field for some bonus stamina (It won't help me at this point; I've already got all the referral items).



I think that's about it for now. Peace and love, you crazy kids.

Have you shaved off your beard and embraced the girly boy look yet. Seriously the ladies love that shit these days.

Not yet. I've been getting mixed messages on this, really. Some people think I look better with a beard.

What do you want to know?

Re: McMasters of BvS

Quote from the latest entry in the news feed:

"Tuesday 6/1 (13:44):

For the next week, EvilTaxi will have 11 HP as a Kaiju because MY DS HAS BEEN IN HIS FREAKING CAR FOR LIKE FOUR MONTHS AND HE NEVER NOTICED IT. I even ASKED HIM to LOOK IN HIS CAR and he was all "HURPADURR I DON SEE IT". He even CLEANED HIS CAR OUT FOR A CON AND DIDN'T SEE IT.
GREATER THAN UNDERSCORE LESS THAN, TAXI."

Awesome.

Re: China

You have to admit, this would never happen in New York.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Re: FML and GMH

I know from personal experience that bitching about my life on the Internet can be therapeutic. It's a cathartic release to get all that garbage out. However, I feel like sites like FML take it too far. Yeah, it's good to get that stuff out, but there comes a certain point where that stuff just isn't fun to read anymore, especially for depressive types like me. I mean, I'm pretty miserable in my own life. I can sometimes derive some sick pleasure from the misery of others, but I can only read so much of other people's suffering before the sympathy kicks in and I can't enjoy it anymore.

So, I recently discovered GMH. It's like FML, but instead of bad experiences, it's a collection of things that 'give me hope'. It's a sweet idea, and corny as it sounds, reading just a few off the front page each day can be really uplifting. For a guy like me who had lost almost all faith in humanity, these kinds of things really warm my heart.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share that. If you're a cynical prick who enjoys hearing about others' pain, give FML a try. If you still have a shred of humanity in you, I'd suggest reading some GMH. If both of those sound like you, well, you're not alone. Bookmark them both just in case.

Re: LOST

I still had a few questions after the finale. Apparently I'm not alone.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Today, May 20th

Someone had the audacity to create a holiday called Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. The idea is to show defiance against the threats of religious fanatics by publicly breaking that doctrine that says you're not supposed to depict the prophet Mohammed in any way. This is obviously an emotionally-charged issue, and I want no part in the drama that would ensue from such actions.

On an unrelated note, I recently started drawing again. I have to practice for an art contest on TinierMe. I started off with a simple doodle, which you can see below:



Now, I know what you're thinking: this isn't a very good drawing of Santa Claus. I know, but it's my first try, so I think that's pretty good all things considered. I still want some more opinions on my drawing abilities as they are now, so I'm going to post the image to Facebook as well, and I encourage my readers to share it with anyone you'd like.

That's about it for now. Take care, my dear readers. Blessings and peace be upon you.

RIP Ronnie Dio

Click to read the original article.

He will be missed. Rest in peace, Dio.

Re: The Marmaduke Movie

I can't begin to express how much I hate Hollywood right now. I can't find an outlet for my writing, but a fucking Sunday paper comic strip gets a live-action movie? Seriously, just put a bullet in my head now, so I don't have to keep watching the movie people rape the collective consciousness of America.

Re: Nickelback

I don't think I'll ever understand why people hate Nickelback so much. What, is it the creative lyrics? The sweet guitar riffs? Maybe they just think Chad Kroeger (lead singer) looks like a douche. Whatever the reason, it's ridiculous. Anyone who's really listened to a decent amount of their stuff knows Nickelback is a talented band, even if they are a little too commercial.

If you're a fan, please comment. I'm sick of feeling all alone out here.

CS: Hungary vs. Norway

So, this Z-day event my club was putting on happened today. It was supposed to just be a game of zombies vs. humans, but since everyone wanted to use a gun, we ended up doing a few rounds with all humans. Of course, we needed to come up with something for the H's and Z's on our tags to stand for. So, the H's became Hungary, and the Z's turned on their side to make an N became Norway.

Yes, Hungary vs. Norway. Least likely war, and best scenario ever for a new squad-based shooter.

Re: onestop

Earth Day: A Rant

(Copied over from my TinierMe diary)

I'm not sure why this day is special. I mean, if you really care about the earth, you'll have been recycling and saving energy and stuff all year, not just today. Same goes for that earth hour thing where everyone's supposed to turn off their electronics for an hour. Hell, I turn off everything I own whenever I'm not in the room. Is that really so hard to do?

Whatever, I'm just saying I think the point of Earth Day is silly. If you only do good things for the Earth because it's Earth day, you're a hypocrite. It's just like only being nice to people because it's Christmas, or only playing with dangerous fireworks because it's the 4th of July. And Halloween is the same. Like Lewis Black said, we don't need a holiday to dress in funny costumes. We're adults now. If you wake up one morning and decide you want to be Batman, go for it. Who's gonna stop you?

I guess what I'm saying is, don't wait for an excuse like a holiday to do things. If you want to help the Earth, do it. If you want to talk like a pirate, do that too. It's your life. Make the most of it.

~~~

Okay, now that's off my chest, I'd like to point out that I've found another outlet for my pointless ramblings. Most of that now goes on in my TinierMe diary. If you'd like to read it, you can do so here. (Sadly, you have to be logged in to see it, so I'll still transfer the good ones over here as well)

Hey

This is the part where most people would apologize for not posting more often. But you know what? Fuck that. Fuck you readers, with your sense of internet entitlement. I've had a lot of classwork to do lately, I've been driving back and forth between Oswego and Burnt Hills almost every weekend, I'm still trying to run a paranormal club here, and besides all that, I really haven't had anything worthwhile to write about.

Okay, I will say this: I bought a domain name for this site. Try visiting http://danmayerisgodblog.com to see if it's working yet. I doubt I'll renew it after this year since no one reads this anyway, but if people like having a slightly easier way to get here, then maybe I'll shell out for it again next year.

Also, I've started making a little progress with a certain project I've been working on. Not much, but it's something. I'm hoping I'll have it off to a decent start once this semester is over. In the meantime, here's an awesome cat:

Re: Charles Manson

I concur fully.

Is Neil leaving Crue?

I'm not sure what to say about this. Some of you may know I'm a big fan of Motley Crue. However, that doesn't predispose me toward liking Vince Neil. In fact, this new single of his has me scratching my head. I mean, it's not exactly bad, but... I don't know, it's not exactly great either.



Anyway, on the off chance you like the song (or it gets removed from youtube) you can download the song and video right off of Vince's website:

Bookmark these links

If you haven't already.

http://5z8.info/girlsgonewildpart1.wmv_g4v4v_b00bs

http://5z8.info/fake-gmail-login-page_o6r7w_nakedgrandmas.jpg

http://5z8.info/best-russian-sites-for-bootleg-everything_d9s1l_cockfights

Also, this. >_>

Re: Tautology Club

Well, it's an idea.

Not the stupidest thing ever...

Hell, I found it amusing.

You Can Ask Me Anything

Yes, I have one of these things now. So go ahead, ask me a question. As you can see from my profile, I never ignore one. Ever. So go ahead, ask something totally outrageous. Maybe if we're lucky my account will be banned and I'll never use that gimmicky fad website again.

Or not. Whatever, just ask me something.

Re: Colbert fans

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Canada%27s%20History

75 pages.

You people are fucking sick. And I love it.

I know what I want for my birthday this year

This


God, this thing is creepy. But in the awesome way.

To All Blog Comment Spammers

Stop commenting on my blog. I'm getting really tired of having to delete your shit day after day. I opened this blog to anonymous comments because I wanted to be inviting to the random wanderer, but if this shit continues I may have to disable commenting for anonymous users, if not disable comments altogether. I don't want that to happen, but I'm sick of having to keep deleting your digital garbage all the time.

Besides, what are you hoping to accomplish, anyway? Do you know how few people read this? And they definitely aren't going back and reading the old posts, which are always the posts you comment on for some reason. You're not helping your respective e-businesses by doing this, you're just pissing me off.

So, if you happen to be a spammer and are reading this, for God's sake just grow a brain stem and stop spamming here. Idiots.

Re: Archer

I heart this show. I really do.


EDIT: Fixed the proportions, and picked a different trailer.

No Time for Pants

I'm 12 years and old what is this?

EDIT:
Apparently that link doesn't work unless you're logged in to the site. Weak.

Re: Bear Grylls

I don't care much for Man vs. Wild, but you have to admit, Bear has pretty much the manliest name on earth.

New Year, New Laptop, New Resolutions

So, my ASUS laptop, which I just got in August, has died. The motherboard is shot, or at least that's what the Geek Squad guy said. On the bright side, I got to trade in for a brand new HP Pavilion. It's been running smoothly so far, but I haven't finished installing things yet. I guess only time will tell if this one works in the long run, but I've got a good feeling about this one.

Changing gears a bit, I figure now is as good a time as any to talk about new year's resolutions. Does anyone remember that little serial sci-fi novel thing I had going a while ago? You know, the one nobody read and nobody cared about? Well, my main resolution this year is to get that project going again. I doubt it'll take off in popularity, but I just miss having something fun to work on in my downtime. So, hopefully this will be a lot more interesting to look at soon.

Free Running

Anyone else think this looks way too cool to work on the wii? Nonetheless, it's got my attention.

Video Games | Free Running | Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Re: Nostalgia

Alright, Schunk, are you happy now? I'm talking about you on the Internet. Jeez...

For those who don't know, while I was at Marist I had, and sort of still have, an arch-rival. He was the Joker to my Batman; the mongoose to my rattlesnake; the obnoxious man-child to my... well, you get the idea. This lovable bane of my existence goes by the name of Matt Schunk.

When it came to WWE videogames, our rivalry was unmatched. Legitimate matches usually degenerated to insults and accusations of cheating from both sides. I'd win through some clever but underhanded move, and he'd call me a cheater. He'd pull the same kind of thing in our next match and celebrate like it was Wrestlemania. Schunk was a sore winner, and he raised trash-talk to the level of an artform. Looking back now, I can't think of anyone else who succeeded at pissing me off quite as much as he did. On one occasion, he actually got me pissed enough that I snapped and attacked him with a hockey stick. I'm not sure where I got a hockey stick, but fortunately I came to my senses when I remembered that, with the shape I was in, he could probably kick my ass blindfolded.


(Still the most viewed video in my YouTube channel)

Honestly, I do miss his antics some days. He always was the life of the party, even if he let it go to his head a little too much. We don't talk much anymore, aside from random updates and favorite wrestlers dying.

(Seriously, Umaga's gone now too? Is there anyone cool left in WWE?)

Still, I get the feeling our rivalry isn't destined to end just yet. Someday, we'll have that big rematch we'd been planning, or at least get together and catch up. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to settle for plotting to kill my roommates instead. Just don't tell them I said that.

Re: Marble Hornets

I don't know if anyone else has been following this series, but I think the fan responses are possibly the best part of the whole affair.

Re: Breast Cancer Awareness

Hey, I love boobs. So, you can understand why I'd be concerned with breast cancer awareness. Well, one of the most breast-friendly sites on the web is having a sort of click drive:

The Breast Cancer Site

If they manage to reach their goal of 5 million clicks, then that's $10,000 more for mammograms. It's a good cause and doesn't cost a thing to participate in, so I'm recommending all my readers (yes, both of you) go to the above site and click on the button. In fact, I would recommend you bookmark the site so you can go back and contribute a click every day.

There are only 17 days left, so get clicking.

Important Update

...I got nothing.

Re: the RNG in BvS

The RNG is a fickle mistress, but some days she can be oh so sweet.

Re: I'm not dead yet

Just letting you know. I've been pretty sick lately, and on top of that I've been busy with club stuff and school. The weather officially sucks again, so I guess I'll continue being inactive even after I'm over whatever stomach bug I've got.

Anyway, if anybody from Marist is reading this, I miss you guys. We really have to figure out a time to meet and hang out sometime. Maybe in the spring before the new semester starts. I don't have the energy to think about driving anywhere now, but we'll see what happens.

Re: SMBC Theater

Seriously, what the fuck?

A good tweet? Maybe not.

I was going to post here just as an update, then realized I really have nothing to talk about, so I thought maybe I'd just update my twitter instead, but now this is already getting to be too many characters so I'm just going to post here.

Hey! I'm still here. Who would've thought, right? But it's true. And I've got a mid-semester break coming up, so I'm in good spirits. I need the extra sleep pretty badly right now. In fact, I need any sleep pretty badly right now.

From the Heart

I know it's usually not my style to get too personal here. I mean yeah, I'll complain about problems in my everyday life, but I usually try to do it for an audience. I try to turn my daily drudgery into something mildly amusing for the random readers of the Internet. But tonight I'm in a not-so-rare mood, and I feel I have to get this off my chest. Who knows, maybe I'll feel better afterward. I'm sorry if this isn't my best work, but with any luck someone will understand what I'm talking about.

My biggest problem seems to be life itself. Life ends. I mean, if I were immortal, I probably wouldn't care about wasting my life in this crappy little state school trying to get a stupid degree in a field I barely care about anymore. See, if I had all the time in the world, it wouldn't matter if I took life at a snail's pace. But that's just not the case.

I'm scared to death that I'll die before I ever accomplish anything I set out to do. I have big dreams, you know. I want to write and direct and be a comic, and you know all that, but before even that stuff takes off, I want to undertake a seemingly simple task: start my own webcomic. It didn't have to be anything earth-shatteringly great, and it didn't even have to have a regular update schedule, or even people to read it for that matter. I just wanted to take this screwy story of mine and put it out there.

Here's the thing: I can't draw for shit. I'm not awful, I guess, but any time I try to draw my characters, they come out all wrong. I can draw inanimate objects without trouble, but as soon as I try to draw people I fail miserably. This is a big pain for me, because I had my heart set on drawing this thing myself. I mean, I guess it would be possible to find someone else to draw for me, but I'm afraid the comic will lose a certain personal feel for me. Besides, I know I can't possibly afford to pay anyone well enough to warrant them putting up with my project, especially when there's no guarantee the thing will ever take off.

There's more to it than that, though. Even if the webcomic thing didn't take off, I could probably just write the series like I had been thinking about originally doing. For some reason, though, I've been stricken with this sick compulsion lately to just avoid writing like the plague. Be it writing for this project, for my first novel, for finishing that stupid short story I haven't touched in months, or any of the other things I'd love to finish, I seem to have this deep-seated fear of the whole thing. Somehow, the one thing in the world I'm any good at is the one thing I'm least able to do from day to day.

So, you might wonder to yourself, since Dan hasn't been updating his blog much, what has he been doing with his life? The answer is a whole lot of nothing. And it's making me sick to my stomach. I swear, I'm just completely disgusted with myself. All I do is wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, go to classes (which I'm not even always doing anymore), dick around on the Internet for a while, maybe watch a little tv once in a while, take a nap, go to dinner, come back and spend a while in the bathroom cursing God and whoever does the cooking in the dining hall, then go to bed and toss and turn, wondering what the hell I did all day. That's it.

Okay, so lately I did become the accidental leader of a club on campus, and a tentative member of another club, but these are just minor distractions, and I find I usually can't summon the will to fulfill my duties for the presidency. It's sad to think that I can't handle what is seemingly just the events of everyday life. Other people seem to handle themselves alright. Why can't I do the same? Why can't I go through life without having to grapple with a constant draining sickness in the pit of my heart, like what I'm doing will never matter to anyone ever?

Great, so it finally happened: I've become the pathetic, melodramatic emo-cuss I never wanted to be. Everything I want in life seems to be close at hand, so why can't I just reach out and take it? Why am I afraid of doing things, and talking to people, and just living my damn life?

I can still hear the rain beating on my window, and even if I couldn't, I'm sure that dismal feeling would still be here. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I try like hell to wind myself up and do things, but it never lasts. Is this all just depression acting up? That's what all the television commercials would lead me to believe, but what can I do? I'm already on two medications, and taking energy supplements just to get through the day, but it's still not enough. I'm still wallowing in a pit of my own self-loathing, and I can't seem to dig myself out no matter how hard I try. For every fleeting moment I get out, I just fall right back in.

Well, here I am again, on the edge of a pit that appeared from nowhere to swallow me up, along with my energy, my dignity, my hopes and dreams, and any semblance of a life I ever had. Honestly, I know this all sounds horrible, but just the fact I've been able to type any of this out means I'm better off than I was all day. I'm still miserable, but I've gotten just far enough out of the pit to start crying for help. I don't want to worry anyone, but if you know or care anything about me, well, you've got reason to worry. Sorry, I wish it weren't the case, but this is as far as I've been able to come on my own, and it may be as far as I go.

Okay, this is starting to sound a little like a suicide note, so let me just assure you I'm not contemplating killing myself. I'll admit the thought has crossed my mind, but it seems to me that the only way things can get better is if I keep on living, so death just isn't an option right now.

I'll probably go back to bed after this, since I'm spending more and more time there lately. I'm just too tired to think anymore. I want to get out and do things, but I just don't have the physical or mental capability to be active. I don't know how I'll get out of this situation, but I'll think of something. I've decided I'm going to talk to a counselor, and I'll talk to my doctor about changing meds again, and with any luck I'll find a way out of this crappy metaphorical hole I've been sitting and stewing in.

I don't say this often, so pay attention: I can't do this on my own. If anyone, and I mean anyone, can offer any advice for me, a kind word, or even something as simple as an acknowledgment of my existence. I need to know this fight is worth something, because I can't win if I'm just fighting for myself. I need to know somebody's in my corner. If that somebody is you, just give me the good word, okay?

Peace and love, y'all. Look for me among the stars.

PI club, Club /b/, and more MadWorld

So, I have another blog now:

http://sunyitpi.blogspot.com/

Not a lot going on there yet, but we'll see if anything comes of it.

Also, I joined the on-campus club that was formerly just about getting free pizza, but is now about maintaining the campus imageboard, SUNYIT-chan. Tonight's meeting had all of 4 people including the president. Still, I sense good things about this one. I'll post a link to the board (in case anyone cares) sometime after we get the domain name decided on.



And I'm still playing MadWorld, even though I probably shouldn't. The game takes 5 hours max to beat, and my save file is on hour 12 or so. Of course that's not counting the time I waste thinking about how the hell to beat the challenges, which aren't required to beat the game but I started doing anyway because I'm obsessive like that. Of course, the last couple challenges are eluding my conquering nature, and it's getting maddening. I usually wouldn't worry so much about it, but for some reason I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if don't beat every single challenge. Maybe I'm still going through Mafia Wars withdrawals...

Alright, I guess that's all for now. Later, all.

Re: Luck

Found this in my BvS newsfeed today:

"You have lost the Easy Money Tournament Robo Fight. The Qualifying score was 315 (you had 311)."

Son of a...

Re: xkcd

This one went over my head. :/ I guess I could just google Locke and Demosthenes, but... meh.

Fresh Hardware

So, after a couple close calls, including a pointless vista update that almost killed it for good, I think I've finally got my new laptop up and running. Here's a picture I took with the built-in webcam:



I'll have to take a higher quality one later so everyone can see the dorky-cool stickers I put all over the back.

Speaking of pictures, I got to play around with the versus game in the webcam program. I'm not really sure how it works, but I won so I'm not complaining.



Suck it, Schunk!

A New Post

What? It's after midnight. You weren't expecting creativity out of me, were you?

I've got a new laptop, but I'm not typing on it right now. I didn't get to finish setting it up for SUNYIT's network, so I'll have to do all that tomorrow sometime before the Paranormal Club meeting. Which I'm the president of or some crazy shit like that.

And speaking of crazy shit,

So, I'm the leader of a school club

How the hell did that happen? :/

Re: My Failure

Yeah, so I fail. Sue me.



(The above is in response to this and the discussion revolving around it)

Re: NIMF Nimrods

I was perusing the 'net looking for info about my new favorite obsession, and I stumbled onto this:

NIMF Disappointed with Nintendo

"Hardcore gamers have been anxiously awaiting MadWorld for a long time. But not everyone is happy to see the stylish, kill-happy game arrive. The National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF) issued a press release this morning complaining that Nintendo has "shed its 'family friendly' reputation with MadWorld's release."

"The release of MadWorld for the Wii brings violent videogames to a once family-friendly platform," said Dr. David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the Family. "In MadWorld, gamers use the Wii Remote to make the necessary physical actions to chainsaw an opponent in half, impale an enemy with a signpost or decapitate a victim with a golf club. MadWorld is another reminder that parents need to make sure they watch what their kids watch and play what their kids play."

Ha ha. :P MadWorld brings violent games to the platform? What is wrong with these guys? Violence has been a staple of the Wii game library forever. No More Heroes, House of the Dead, all incarnations of Resident Evil, the more recent Deadly Creatures, and of course the shitstorm that was Manhunt 2. Hell, one of the release titles for the Wii was RedSteel! Nintendo may like their casual players and family-friendly games, but the 3rd-party devs still love the hardcore gamers, and Nintendo obviously has no intention of banning these games from their hardware, violent or not.

Whatever. This stuff is still sensitive material. I'm turning 22 in like a week, and I still got carded buying the game. R-rated movies and mature tv shows don't even have that kind of security around them. I really don't see why parents have to point fingers and play scapegoat games when it comes to something as fundamental as raising their kids. You can't blame videogames for your failure of a child. If the kid's under 17, they shouldn't be able to get M-rated games anyway. As for the more important part, before your kids get ahold of violent stuff like this, it's the job of the parents to educate their kids on the differences between fantasy and reality. Hell, you can't even swing a real-life chainsaw around that easily. It's got too much inertia. Don't ask how I know that.

So, rather than continue arguing the same point that's been on the books for years, I'm going to dismiss this as yet another case of powerless peons pointing fingers because they think they have to control absolutely everything their child is every exposed to if they hope to raise anything but a menace to society. A child is the sum of all the love, attention and discipline you put into them. If you're doing your job right to begin with, some bloody games shouldn't be able to shake that. I play plenty of violent games, and I'm not a total antisocial psycho-

Okay, bad example there. But you get my point. Okay, see you around, kiddies. Peace and love. And chainsaws. :)

Michael Pittarelli Raped My Mind

I just got out of one of the most excrutiating lectures of my life. And believe me, that's saying something. I've had some awful teachers before, but this one takes the cake. I can sit through mind-numbingly boring and ineffectual lectures, but most professors I've had, however dull and convoluted their lectures become, usually stop short of being physically painful to listen to. Mike Pittarelli crosses that line running. Seriously, I've had bouts of food poisoning less painful than the experience of listening to this man talk for two hours.

First of all, he takes the full class period, and in fact runs out of time at the end, to discuss maybe 30 minutes of material. This is because he has a very confused, misguidedly casual approach to lecturing. It's never really clear what point he's trying to get across, just that he's trying like hell to make it. You can only hope to guess at what information he's hoping to convey, while he aimlessly circles the point of the story for what feels like hours, occasionally straying close to the point but never really reaching it. It's kind of like watching a bashful young schoolboy trying to work up the courage to ask out the preppy cheerleader.

Then, after ten minutes of ambling about like a late-onset Alzheimer's patient, just when you think he's about to make the point he's been working toward the whole time, he stops and switches to a new topic, wandering off in a completely different direction than you expected. If there is a more perfect living example than this of a functional adult with severe ADD, I have yet to encounter them.

I also don't understand how he can possibly justify jumping back and forth between chapters the way he does. There's a reason the more advanced stuff is saved for 200 pages later in the book: if you present them all together just because they seem related, it makes the whole discussion too confusing for new students to follow. At least, I'm pretty sure the discussion would've been confusing, if I in any way had the ability to continue listening, but by then I had lost all will to go on living, let alone keep listening to him prattle on about decomposing and rejoining database relations.

In short, I don't have a RateMyProfessors account, but this experience made me consider it. Guys like this may have some talent in their given field, but Mike clearly has done too much acid in his heyday to adequately teach his craft to impressionable youngsters like myself, and it's a terrible shame that he's allowed to continue doing it. If anybody else has him, I'd love some tips on how to survive this class, which is a requirement for pretty much every other class in my major.

EDIT: I found his profile on RateMyProfessors:
http://ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=74984
I guess I'm not the only one who's noticed. Of course, not many raters on the site had him for 350, which I do. I think the only reason people like/pass his class is because he does the same open book/notes tests that Sam Sengupta does, except Mike has a weird grading curve where having 53% on a test can net you a B+ or so. And at least Sam was bearable to listen to in lecture. I learned quite a bit without even reading the book. Mike lost me in a hurry. I think I might be better off just reading the book and sleeping through his lectures.

Hey, guess what?

My life's kind of boring. MadWorld, however, is fun. Thus, my time is being divided to allow more for MadWorld than for life. One-A-Day energy supplements don't seem to work for me, but the natural high of vivisecting things still does alright. Who knows, maybe one of these days I'll actually find the time/energy/will to get that webcomic/game/video series of mine started. I doubt it'll happen soon, though, since it's something of a daunting task for someone who can't really draw, code, or even write all that well. Plus... vivisections are fun.

Also, Schunk fails.

Back again

So, I'm settling into my new room. So far, so good. The weather is absolute crap, and I spent most of the afternoon being overheated, wet, tired, itchy, and generally pissed off at everyone. On the bright side, my room is mostly pretty nice. The desk is a bit screwed up, since it doesn't have the movable shelves like I had last year. I mean, the shelves are here, but they're disconnected from the desk and there doesn't seem to be any easy way to stick them back in like there used to be. Weird.

Also, my desk has a huge gash in it. I hope there's someplace to report that so I don't end up paying for it.

I did finally get to watch another movie yesterday; Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Thing is, the movie was actually really good, and I somehow feel weird writing a review for a movie that had nothing really bad to rip it a new one for. So, I think I'll just call it a 4/5 and say I'd recommend it.

Well, I'm sure I'll have more to blog about when something actually happens here. In the meantime, I want to spend what's left of my weekend taking it easy. I love you all. Most of the time.

A Change of (Healthcare) Plans

Double meaning intended for that title.

Yeah, so, my plans for movie blowout week or whatever kind of fell through. I underestimated the amount of stuff I'd be doing this week, and I really haven't had the energy to sit through 2 and 3 hour movies than I'm only mildly interested in, let alone to sit down with a computer typing during the whole thing.

Again, this'll be easier all around when I'm at school and have a good desk to work with; it's a much more conducive writing environment. Plus, I bought some energy supplements to try, so I'm hoping that will help. That, and maybe if I can get a solid, uninterrupted night's sleep a couple times a week. I'm really useless when I don't get a good night's sleep, yet it's almost impossible to get one around here. Some vacation, huh? :P

Anyway, I don't know how many of my readers watch the Daily Show, but I'm guessing all four of you have heard about all this controversy surrounding the proposed healthcare bills currently going through Congress. As often happens, John and his guest's conversation ran long and they couldn't show the whole thing on tv. The parts missed last night are on the website now, and I recommend taking a look. It's pretty interesting stuff:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Movie Review: The Strangers

Sorry about yesterday. The power went out here, so I couldn't watch a movie if I wanted to. Anyway, I've fired up the DVR and am all ready to kick off

Dan Mayer's
End of Summer
Movie Review
Extravaganza

yayomg!

So, since it's going on 6 and I wanted to get 2 movies in today, the first movie I'm doing is the shortest one I could find on my list:


The Strangers stars my heart-throb Liv Tyler (<3) and some guy, but seriously who gives about him? Liv Tyler!


In a break from tradition, rather than just writing something afterward, I'm actually typing while I watch to save time (with a few minor edits afterward). So, let's dive right in.

Inspired by true events.
Right off the bat, there's a creepy VO and titles telling us that this movie is based on true events. An opening like that really doesn't bode well for this 2.5 star production, but we'll see. I'll admit, the 911 call was a nice touch. Not sure about the editing, but it doesn't fail to set the mood.

(And I have to pause the movie at this point because I banged my toe on the coffee table badly enough to break the skin. Reason #478 why I'll be glad to have a desk again)

You make me feel beautiful...
The timeline is kind of erratic from the start of this next scene. I get they're trying to set up the scene, but the pacing just feels weird to me. I know people like to Tarantino everything today, but would it kill directors to just let us, the audience, see the events in the same order the characters do? Maybe then I wouldn't be so lost from the get-go.

(Character note: this guy's kind of a puss, man. :P Well, maybe that's just me and my views on marriage. No need to open that can of worms right now)

After the initial clumsiness, the movie seems to find its footing and builds up to a good pace. Suspense is a little thin at first, but the sense of mystery once the girl shows up at the door grows nicely from there. I'm not sure I dig the random eerie violin notes every few seconds, though. The parts with no ambient music seem to work much better. Maybe that's just my personal taste, though.

The visual editing seems okay. Nothing to write home about. Plenty of good shots of Liv in that cute little dress, though. :)

There's someone out there...
I do like this initial scene where the person in the mask slips inside the house. It's very subtle, yet extremely effective. It's more of a less-is-more approach to horror than I'm used to seeing these days, and I appreciate that. I'm still not liking the added background music, though. Silence does far more for this scene than anything else. The sound effects have a lot more punch that way. After the next series of bangs on the door, though, the scene feels a little too familiar. And the broken record player bit is just plain ridiculous.

Don't go out there!
Once again, I'm inclined to dislike this guy playing Liv's loverboy. I will say, though, this actor does a brilliant job of playing the crappy boyfriend (assuming that's what he's trying to do). The masked girl's random disappearing and reappearing are a bit played. Am I really supposed to be scared by the same trick twice in a row?

The rest of this scene with the guy out by the car is okay, though. Again, I like the pacing of it. The camera cuts build a nice kind of paranoid suspense without being too over-the-top. It's not great, but it's not bad.

Just us and them...
I'm a bit confused about why the guy was so slow to accept that maybe these people broke into the home and took her phone. Once he finally accepts that, though, he continues to let us down be revealing that, while he was able to find a gun, he has no clue how to use it. Way to go, buddy.

Here's Johnny...
The axe-in-the-door bit was actually pretty well timed. Once again, I'm fascinated by the pacing of this film. It has a way of slowing down and lulling you in only to kick the action back up as soon as you don't expect it anymore. I like the way they keep us in the moment in the closet.

Hey, it's Mike...
Yet another character I despise. The scene is effective, though. Somehow that shot-to-the-windshield thing never gets old.

Here's a weird one: despite how much I hate this Mike guy, I don't want to see him get shot by his own friend by accident. And yet, I feel it coming... Any minute now...

Hello?
Called it. Where's that Stephen Colbert graphic? Whatever, I'll find it later.

Yes, it's Mike. Congratulations, you shot your friend you called to give you a ride and get you the fuck out of there. Way to be that guy.

The masked folk are still doing their thing, and doing it well. I love how they go through all this psychological crap without seriously hurting anyone. It's good to see a horror flick that manages to be kind of scary without making it a total bloodbath. In short, it works.

...James?
I haven't said much about it up to this point, but I really do like Liv's acting in this role. She really sets the emotional tone for every scene. But I think this is even more true now. Maybe it's the horror-factor of knowing she's all alone now, or maybe it's that her wuss boyfriend was holding her back. Either way, the movie's getting better.

...Help me.
So, she's made it to the shed, and the scary sound effects continue. As before, I think we can do without the background sound here. The sound effects and the crazy broad with the axe do their job well enough on their own without musical punctuation.

I'm a little confused now as to why her injured leg suddenly doesn't slow her down as much. I guess you could chalk it up to adrenaline, since she starts hopping again shortly. Likewise, how did she spontaneously get up the courage to confront the masked girl after she starts looking at the ring on the table?

Baby!
This movie is starting to take a weird turn. I mean, it didn't altogether make sense to start with, but its really working on my mind now. How do not one, not two, but three people find the time and energy to do crap like this? I'm getting more confused that scared at this point. I think I'd be more genuinely scared if I had any clue at all why this crap was happening. And unfortunately this next line isn't a good enough reason for me.

Because you were home...
And at last, the masks come off. And of course, we have to play it up by not really showing their faces at all to the audience. Bryan Bertino, you shameless cocktease.

And now, I'm sorry, but this ending is so rotten, I think there's no point in not spoiling it now. After all that playing around, the terrible threesome just out-and-out stab both of them with a knife. Not even just that. They knock the two of them out, tie them up, and wait until morning to finish the job. Apparently, and ironically considering her name, Liv's character lived through the ordeal, and is discovered the same day by some random kids.

Afterthoughts
So, inspired by true events, huh? I have a hard time believing things could have really went down this way. Is there anyone on this planet so cruel and twisted, yet completely ineffectual at torturing and killing people? And moreover, why the hell did this need to be made into a movie?

I'm reminded of the opening of the movie, which I decided I had to go back and read again for clarification.

"What you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the FBI, there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year. On the night of February 11, 2005, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt left a friend's wedding reception and returned to the Hoyt family's summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known."

That last line is key. Not entirely known. In other words, they don't know what happened that night. All they know is Kristen and James were found brutally attacked in their home. Everything that happened in the movie before the stabbing bit was basically made up from scratch.

See, that's where this movie falls flat. It's an invented movie concept, but with a real ending. They build you up with all this suspense and stuff throughout, when in the end all that happens is the two of them are tied up and mutilated with a knife. The end. Buh-bye. It's a real-world crime that was dramatized by stretching it out into an hour and a half of "oh my god, what's going on?" See, in movies, when the audience is constantly barraged with that question, the answer has to be pretty fucking good. Not "Because you were home."

Seriously, this movie never needed to be made. It's less than an hour and a half, yet it felt like a lifetime for me. I'm guessing the actual crime was a lot less that this, in fact. Look, real psychopaths would've just snuck in and knocked them both out in a couple minutes. They wouldn't just douche around, standing on the front lawn and right behind them watching for an hour. I'm not a criminal psychologist, but I'm fairly sure that no one who enjoys gutting people for sport also enjoys dragging the whole thing out by scaring the victims witless while simultaneously giving the couple countless chances to defend themselves.

That's the second point where this movie fails. Real people in a dangerous situation like this would eventually start fighting back. If they knew they were in real physical danger, they wouldn't hesitate. There were countless occurrences where I thought, especially about James, "no one can really be this fucking stupid." If someone wanted to kill me, they'd have to do a lot more than scare me. They'd have to do way more than steal my phone and fuck up my car. They'd have to take away my Louisville slugger and every sharp implement in the house, because if this shit was happening to me and I had so much as a pair of toenail clippers left, I'd be cutting some bitches.

In all likelihood, the actual criminals had the victims tied up very quickly. They wouldn't allow them all that time to get weapons and scream for help and everything. The movie premise is just very bad. If things went down the way they did in the movie, the couple or at least one of them should have managed to get away.

Final Verdict:
2/5

Skip this one. It had its scary moments, but they don't make up for how far downhill everything went at the end. If you're going to build up all this suspense over the course of the entire movie, you can't just kill off the main characters and drop the audience flat at the end. That kind of ending isn't even scary or exciting; it's a giant letdown, that's all. With all that buildup, the ending has to be exciting and keep my on the edge of my seat. Two people sitting tied to chairs getting sliced up like fresh haddock is not exciting.

As of this moment, writer/director (if you can call him that) Bryan Bertino is on my personal shit list. If I ever get my own TV network, popular website (yeah, this doesn't count), etc. nothing produced by his crappy excuse for writing is every allowed to be advertised. Not on my watch. I have an obligation to protect my audience from crap like this. That's why I do these reviews.

Because I care. I'm like the CBS network, only broke.

Okay, I'm like the CBS network, period.

Open Post to Someone Special

You know that open letter exercise where you write a letter to somebody but don't intend to mail it? Well, this is kind of like that.

I've been following a certain blog for a while now via the Blogger website, and I just got around to reading the past week or so of posts that showed up there. I don't really remember how I know the blogger who writes it, but I recognize a kindred spirit when I see one. And yes, I can see your spirit through the web. I'm cool like that.

Anyway, the person in question has experienced some emotional hardship of late, and while it is out there in the open for everyone to see, part of me feels like it's too personal for me to respond to directly, especially to someone I'm pretty sure I've never talked to.

So, I'm writing kind of an open letter to this person because I just sort of feel like I have to put this out there, because even though I think a direct response doesn't seem appropriate, I feel like I have to say something about this in one form or another. I really don't even intend for the person I'm talking about to read this, but if I put it out in the open and they happen to see it, I'll know it was meant to happen.

~~~

To whom it may concern,

I read about your recent troubles with that person who was so important to you, and to whom you were sure you were important, too. I don't know whether that is the case or not. Maybe they told you that you don't really matter, or else made it clear with their actions, but were only trying to cover up how they really feel about you? Or maybe it was all a lie to begin with, as you may suspect already. I'm not in any position to say which I think it is.

I will, however, say this: if you see that person again after reading this, tell them from me that as long as they keep up what they're doing, they aren't going anywhere in life.

When I read your initial description of their behavior, always sitting around feeling bad but doing nothing about it, I immediately thought of myself. But as I continued, I found the similarities stopped there. We all experience hardships, and we all struggle to find meaning in what we do. The crucial difference between myself and the person you thought loved you is they have a different way of finding meaning in their life. They find it in drugs, sex, booze, mind-numbing tv (been there), and testing just how far they can shove their head up their own ass. These kinds of people have no meaning in their life, but they can't stop lying to themselves about it because that would mean acknowledging that their own actions have made them what they are.

In short, this person probably had something good with you. They could have tried to hold onto it, nurture it, and watch it turn into something good, but they didn't, and they were too naive and conceited, too wrapped up in themselves to see how they were hurting you. This story is all too familiar to me. It's the burden of misguided youth all over the world. Drop a penny off the roof of any high school; you'll probably hit somebody who is a victim of the same story.

So, what about me? Well, I guess I'm misguided too. But I'm finding my own way, blazing my own trail, and I'm making a point of never forgetting about the people along the way who help get me there. I don't always pay a kind word to everyone I think I should, and that's been my failing, but I'm trying to do better. I don't have the time and energy to help everyone I meet who is in pain, but I doubt I'll stop wanting to every day of my life.

That's why your posts spoke to me. I heard the familiar pangs of heartache, and wanted to reach out. But I'm still just a stranger, and I know I can't promise to do any better than that person who broke your heart. At least they could talk to you; I'm a thousand miles away, even to those I care about most.

Before this rant of mine gets too long, I'll wrap up by saying this: I admire you, because in spite of everything you still believe there are good people out there. And you're right. I know, because even among the sea of misguided youth, I still see a handful of good souls out there in the world. I happen to think I'm one of them. I don't know that I'm "the right one" for anybody, but then I've always been my own toughest critic. I don't have the conviction to talk to you directly, partially because I don't even know who you are, nor do you have any clue who I am. More than that, though, I think it's because I'm never sure I'm good enough for anyone. So, for now, I'll have to leave that up to you. If you happen to read this, and think maybe I'm worth talking to, if only on a friendly pen-pal basis, you know how to reach me. I don't exactly make a point of leaving the proverbial porch light on, but my door's always open.

Sincerely yours,
Dan Mayer

And on that note, I think I need to go do something immoral now. Maybe I'll fire up the wii and play Mad World for a while. Peace and love, readers.

My DVR, and Movie Review Week

Ever since my family got a DVR toward the end of last semester, I've been putting it to good use. Sometimes I'll record things I have very little intention of watching at all. Even as I cut back on my tv watching lately, the DVR's still there to catch what I might be concerned about missing.

So, with less than a week until I return to college, I realized I should probably cancel some of the future recordings I won't be here to watch, as well as the stuff from the last couple weeks I never got around to. I deleted around 10 hours of programming, and the hard drive is still almost half full.

Anyway, I realized the bulk of space being taken up on there right now (for some reason no one else in the family makes use of this thing but me) is storing a bunch of movies I recorded with the intention of watching later. These all range from classic stuff like In The Line Of Fire and The Fugitive, to more contemporary stuff I got off HBO (The Darjeeling Limited, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, etc). I actually did watch quite a few movies this summer (including those 3 god awful hours of Lawnmower Man that I'll never get back), but there are still a lot left on the machine.

So, in order to save space on the hard drive in case anyone else wants to record something, as well as give me something to do with my last lazy week here besides go to work all morning and space out all afternoon,

(TL;DR? The bottom line starts here:)

I've decided to watch and review as many of those movies as I can manage for the next week. I'm pretty sure I can get at least 10 done by the time I have to leave on Saturday, but we'll see what happens. At least this should make for something fun to do, and hopefully will help get me out of this summer slump and ready for action when classes start.

Expect my first review post Monday or Tuesday this week. By the way, if there are any movies on TV this week that anyone wants me to watch for/with them, let me know here or email me. I love the attention. :)

Still not dead yet

Just so you know. School starts in about a week. I'll probably blog about that. Also, started work on my webcomic, though I'm still struggling with the fact that I can't draw my way out of a paper bag, yet am too much of a perfectionist to trust the project with anyone else. More on this later, plus, could the breakfast cereal you've been eating to get more fiber actually kill you? Find out tonight at 11.

A Bill for Congress: Rough Draft

I had a thought today (just one?!) regarding the way Congress operates. You know, it seems to me like folks in politics tend to either get too bogged down on little details to see the big picture, or too swept up in the big picture to see the little details. Those groups are probably Republicans and Democrats respectively. Or Liberals and Conservatives. Or Conservatives and Liberals. Or Sharks and Jets. Pair it however you want.

Now, here's the thing: there's nothing wrong with having people with different viewpoints. In fact, it's a good thing. A group of people with differing viewpoints, when working together, are able to achieve better results than any one of them working alone. The trouble is, people often get caught up in their differences. In practice, a roomful of people with different viewpoints may find themselves unable to come to an agreement, or at least unable to agree in a reasonable amount of time.

So, I had this thought: Bills that go through Congress are huge, and have so many little points to them, it becomes easy to get stuck. I think what they need is a way to sum up bills more clearly and concisely. This could work as a shortcut for discussion to help get decisions made more quickly.

Anyway, it's still a work in progress, but I've decided I want to propose this idea to Congress and see if it can't help them work more efficiently. If it can, great. If not, at least I can say I tried to help. I'm not really sure how to go about submitting a bill to Capitol Hill, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

~~~

Untitled Bill

Purpose: To help streamline the way legislators consider new legislation.

From now on, all proposed legislation documents should include on the first page a brief (one paragraph or less) and concise description of what the intended purpose of the legislation is. This description should make clear what goal(s) the originating party had intended.

Many bills that pass before Congress and other legislative bodies are extremely long. Although this may be necessary to fully describe the content of the bill, this may lead to legislators spending an inordinate amount of time discussing the finer points of the issue without addressing the actual reason the bill was made.

If all bills included a short statement of purpose, it would help to accelerate the discussion of the bill. If all the legislators present can agree first that they would not like to see the goal of the bill achieved, then they can reject it without having to spend a lot of time on the details.

If they decide they do want to achieve the goal, then they can address the next logical concern: do the contents of the bill actually work to achieve that goal? If so, then the bill may be passed. If not, legislators may deliberate on changes they would like to see made. Throughout discussion of possible changes, legislators should always consider whether a proposed change would serve the intended goal of the bill. In general, if a particular change to the bill does not serve its initial goal, then it should not be applied.

~~~

Again, this is just a rough draft, but I think I could be on to something here. People can't always see the forest for the trees (even I'm still not sure what that phrase means), so a direct change to how government operates could be a good idea. After all, the advent of the Powerpoint presentations and bullet-points helped to reshape how business meetings work. Why shouldn't the business of government be improved in the same way?

New Blog Idea

Remember when I posted this video with the dancing vampire guy? I think this concept deserves its own blog. If anyone wants to do me a favor, go and see if there's already a blog called "Scary Things with Innappropriate Music." I foresee more of that guy, plus scenes from Friday the 13th and Halloween movies with the Benny Hill theme playing, remixed horror movie trailers, and you know, other things you might expect.

Re: Facebook Animal Activists

Warning: Sad Images of Animal Cruelty Ahead

Now, I'll be the first to tell you, a lot of good can be done with Facebook. There are numerous apps that donate their advertising proceeds to worthwhile causes. Similarly, I think the Causes app is a nice way to recruit people to a crisis or crises that are important to you. What I have a problem with is "activists" who make causes just for the sake of having more causes. Case in point, the cause above.

Okay, I get it. Soldiers in other countries don't love dogs as much as you do. Considering there are a lot of soldiers the world over that treat people just as badly, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not shedding more tears for the poor pooch. I know animal cruelty is horrible, and I'd be happy to help stop it if I could. But how does crap like this help? It even says on the Cause page that donations go toward the Massachusetts SPCA. How exactly do donations to a New-England-based MSPCA have any effect on dogs living in fucking South America?

See, this is what I hate. Every time something bad happens to an animal anywhere on the planet, somebody decides they have to show their outrage by making a big stink about it. Right, because not pestering everyone you know with this story somehow means you're a dog hater.

Hey, I've bought into this crap before. When that one petition started circulating to press authorities to give that chick who threw her friend's kitten in the oven the maximum penalty, I was on board. I signed, I joined the cause, and I forwarded the petition to more people than I care to remember. Did my 'action' have any positive effect? Hell if I know; I have yet to hear any news updates on this. Considering Causes is a social network app that's basically designed for sharing with others, the people behind that cause sure do a lousy job of sharing information on this story. Makes you wonder what they were really trying to accomplish, huh?

Look folks, if you want to make a positive impact in the world, good for you, but causes like this don't do much of anything besides generate more outrage. As a proponent of world peace, I can't encourage anything that spreads even more hate and anger. We all know there are a lot of atrocities in the world. Shoving each and every one down my throat isn't making a positive difference, it's just giving you a pathetic sense of false achievement to prop up your ego and convince you that you're doing something that matters with your life.

Hey, activists: you wanna help the SPCA? Great. Go volunteer at your local animal shelter, or donate money. Hell, you can even ask me to do the same once in a while if you like. But don't use garbage like this to guilt me into helping. I already feel guilty enough about the kinds of people I share this big spinning rock with. I don't need any more misery added on my plate right now. I promise, once I strike it rich, I'll make sure to use my influence to help those in need, but in the meantime I'd like not to have the worst segments of the news shoved in my face all the time. I haven't had a good night's sleep in months, and I'd like to break that chain. The picture of the strung-up dog being shot at doesn't help with that.

UPDATE:
Bolivia Bans Military Abuse of Animals

Oh, goody. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, I suppose. So, maybe sharing information can sometimes help influence things. However, it's safe to say the above decision was made as a result of other groups' actions, such as loud-mouthed PETA people making Bolivia look bad in the public eye. There is, however, still a problem with trying to make waves on Facebook with this stuff. Can you guess what it is? Well?

Okay, here it is: that article was posted on April 1st of this year. I got invited to the Bolivian Soldiers Hate group today. Yes, I'm now being harassed with causes that I not only can't help with, but causes that were already resolved months earlier.

"Oh, but Peru hasn't supported the ban yet!" you might say. "Well," I might respond, "Let me know when some headway was made on that." I say 'was', because considering it's August now, there have likely been a lot of updates on this.

Well, there's one more for you: If you want to be an activist, at least be an informed activist. I don't need any more old news from the outraged and the ignorant.

It's funny how those who know the least about an issue seem to argue the loudest, huh? Yeah, so funny I nearly laughed myself into a fit of insanity. All the intelligent and well-learned people we have left on the world, and yet these obnoxious activists are the people who get a voice in today's society? God, I weep for our grandchildren.