Got A Funny Feelin', You Don't Love Me Anymore

So Halo 3... that which moved me to tears in anticipation.

It is beat.

After a measly 5 hours of cooperative play. Wow. I was hoping for more. Given, we were rushing through at a break-neck pace. But even then... we really did it quickly. Normal: not hard.

For information on all the stuffs you can earn in teh Haloz: Here Thar Be Links!

My rundown on Halo 3:

The campaign is fast paced... like, blisteringly so. Within... maybe... 10 minutes of turning the game on, you start shooting... and the bullet casings never really stop falling from there. The plot is just as fast paced, and largely relegated to the cut scenes... it is quite possible to actually lose track of things really quickly. The interruptions from Gravemind and Cortana are interesting, but disruptive and annoying at times. The Plot is brought to a very final close, and there is no thirst for more like in Halo 2. I personally, was mildly miffed at the ending.

The new additions are incredible. The updated armory really makes the game-play a lot less predictable. The new Assault Rifle is right between the BR and the SMG in power, with enough of a clip to kill someone in one clip if you're a great shot. Most of the time, it gets reduced to grenades and elbows after the clip. The new vehicles really round things out, and I'm happy to see a UNSC flyer. The Brute sandbox is fun and different, almost a fourth culture of equipment (Human, Covenant, Forerunner, Brute).

Multiplayer looks to be shaping up interestingly. The game is so beautiful that it almost gets distracting, even in Multiplayer. I've only played a little, but the mechanics are still being laid down. The AR really shakes things up, on maps where it is the starting weapon. Sniping is still fun if you're doing well, miserable if you're not. I'm not that great at MP, but it looks to be fun.

All in all, I was let down some by Halo 3. That's because I had ridiculous expectations. It really is a great game, props to Bungie. I just wish it hadn't had the hype.

Atlantis How Does It Come To This

As always, Loving Pandora.

I'd like everyone to consider the links portion of my blog, to the lower right. It gets updated every so often. Good web sites, both about my causes and general thought provocation.

Been busy, BUSY, BUSY!

That's my standard.

Currently laying out an art book. Books and I are just always together.

Tomorrow I get Halo 3, that'll be fun. Should be at least a week of non-boredom.

Also, Tomorrow, 3rd Interview with the Best Buy General Manger. Good times. *gulp*

Need a break.

WARNING: Explicite Content

Drowning In The Darkness of My Mind

Job interview at Best Buy today. That should be fantastic. And by should I mean, I mean, oh please God let it be.

Fathers are truly terrifying entities. I described my life as a ball of terror enclosed in bars of fear. It was near to the truth.

Less than a week left before it's all over.

Had lunch with sir Tony Dewan this... lunchtime... and it was cool. Seems to be doing alright for himself.

In other news: neeeeeeeeeeeeed sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

~Chow

Beneath The Wormwood Ooh, Love Me So Good

I am feeling splendid, for no other reason than I have work again! Finally I have something to eat my time up again! A pressing, difficult task. I have to do a bounch of work for class tomorrow, and it is wonderful. I need this kind of pressure, I'm realizing, to feel fullfilled... and to do anything worth while. This is a mental problem in need of tackling!

I have decided on the topic of this November's Novel, and whoo-boy, I'm biting off more than ever before. The working title? "Liberating America." And I can assure you, it's not what you think.

In other news, Saturday's Barbecue was fantastic. I am a master of the grill, whipping up delicious food stuffs to pleasure your palate. Seriously, come by some time, and feast upon my foods.

I have found a new, extremely liberating philosophy. I start off with this assumption:
"I Am Wrong"...

...and suddenly learning is so much easier.

Two Reasons To Have Children

T-Shirt Design Concept

What do you think?

Accept Your Life And What It Brings, I Hope Tomorrow You Find Better Things

Let me articulate for you the meaning of tired. That is where I am right now. It has become manifested as a locale. I dwell there, in a copse of wilted willows, a soft breeze singing a dirge of lament, for nascent dreams slain by lack of sleep. I crouch, eyes wild with exhaustion induced insanity, beneath the shattered remains of a statue. I sift through the rubble for a rock to use as a pillow for my addled head. This is where I am.

But anyway.

Spend time with me now while you can! The window of opportunity is closing rapidly as the 25th draws near! And I draw near to it, the vast black maw at the edge of reality is pulling me inexorably towards it's starved gullet. I can smell the fetid breath of disaster already. Oh Reason, why have you abandoned me?

In other news...

• I have a new poll. Fill it out or die the death of the forsaken.
• Barbecue with the ladies Saturday, huzzah!
• That's it really...

TTFN!

~Chow

That Boy's Got Woe, He Lives With Woe

Last night I got some amazing photograph's yesterday.

A hummingbird had landed on the sidewalk, and ignored people when they came near. My sister and I even touched it. Eventually I coaxed it to fly. Initially it went under my car... but I finally got it to fly off in a vaguely safe direction. Then I went downtown with Katie Stevens (Dustin's Girlfriend [read: functional fiance]) and took a few pictures of Indianapolis at night.


Indianapolis Skyline mk II by ~XavierMontague on deviantART


Hummingbird In Repose by ~XavierMontague on deviantART

There are more images at the DeviantArt site, of both subjects. Let me know what you think if you could. Perhaps a meatier update later...

You Bleed for Me I'll Bleed for You

Greetings. As per always, I am writing this under the influence of Pandora. And as always, I beseech thee to freaking give it a try. Eh?

I'm not a real dreamer... that's not my thing. Most nights I get through with nary a vision. Some nights, however, it happens. Last night was such a night.

They say there is no significance to dreams, but when you dream about freaking Halo 3... you've reached some critical point. Your skin begins to pale, you become myopic and need glasses, and braces are not far away. Might as well join the Chess Club now and buy a pocket protector. I mean seriously...

What's more is that in this dream, it was a Halo 3-reality cross over. I fought through Brutes... to get my copy of Halo 3. That makes no damn sense. That's like beating Voldemort's ass to get into the new Harry Potter movie.

What I'm getting at is this: my inner nerd is emerging. From the dark recesses of my soul, the quivering shade of my past springs forth. Who is to blame? Zach. Without a doubt he is the font from which my geekiness flows. I had largely forgotten Dungeons & Dragons before he reared his ferocious, maned visage. Now I am involved in two f*#$(**&@ campaigns, as well as another totally unrelated RPG. I am becoming... ridiculous.

God save my soul.

~Chow

Edit: Check the new Poll

In My Mind You Were Mine What Did I Know

So I really like Plain White T's. Good stuff, very good. Nice alterna-pop feel. Yes, I made that term up... but doesn't it fit? Fun and musically sound, love it, love it.

*****************************************************

Six years ago over 2,000 people died. Because of that over 50,000 more have lost their lives. Math isn't my strong suit... but, uhm...

When we will finally question the assertion that war is inevitable? When will we realize that it is the most inefficient way of solving a problem possible. When will people stop following selfish, power-drunk fools? When will we finally take responsibility?

I am personally responsible for the Iraq War. Why? Because I didn't try to stop it. I didn't speak out. You are responsible too, if you didn't. No, you alone are not responsible, but there is responsibility on your shoulders. If you let the wave of "patriotism" carry you too, you are responsible. Do not make excuses. Accept the truth.

Now.

Go fix it.

That sounds ludicrous, but it isn't. Barrack Obama isn't going to end the War. Hillary Clinton isn't going to end the War. And John McCaine isn't going to continue the War. We are. Until American's understand what this War is, nothing will change. So take responsibility. It's not that hard, the facts support you.

Whether you think we need to stay or you think we need to go, it's clear we need a change. Don't just petition your congressmen. Don't just attend rallies for you party. Petition your neighbor. Attend parties of your friends. What people don't understand is that in a representative democracy, the people hold the power. The politicians won't move an inch without public support, for fear of losing office. If you want change in congress, change in the white house, you have to institute change on the streets and in the homes of Americans. Until American's believe something, the politicians will believe nothing.

In closing, George W. Bush was not responsible for the Iraq War. Exxon-Mobile wasn't. Haliburton wasn't. A Republican Congress wasn't. You were responsible. I was responsible. We were responsible. Feel the shame, and let it motivate you to change everything.

You Were Meant For Me, I Believe You Were Sent To Me

So this was a relatively unusual weekend for me. Caught between an evening of half-grilled burgers and orange vodka* and a day of people gettin' married. It was interesting.

They do not read this, but congratulate Aaron "Ace" and Calli Cutshaw on their shared last name if you get a chance. They are young, yes it is true, but I really have no place talking about age as a contributing factor to anything.**

I would be so extremely happy if the printers at school had toner, but life being what it is, I do not have the luxury of that. So I print off projects that lose meaning because color was the whole @%$&*!#@ point.

I have made a new station on Pandora, and it is spectacular. It was based off "Hey There Delilah," by the Plain White T's. And it is fantastic. I say this, but Zach would prefer a blow-torch in his ears, I'm sure.

Probably likely to have something*** more later.

-Chow

* not to be confused with a screwdriver

** I do not condone infant politicians

*** This is a thing you should see.

And Did I Dissapoint You, Leave A Bad Taste In Your Mouth?

First, might I direct your attention to the right of this post? There is a poll there. I'd appreciate your taking it. Thank you.

In other news, I installed two gigabytes of fresh RAM in my laptop. You have to understand, this is an event. The world shakes, the foundation of the universe splits open and a cloud of fire is the only warning as a new kind of hell is born. I have never before modified the hardware of my electronics. Screwing with things I don't understand is fundamentally against standard operating procedure. But Zach, the bastard, has opened the door to my learning about the inside parts of a computer... and now... as I stated, a new hell is born.

Computer stuff be expensive. I am a poor college student eeking by at $400 a month, which covers eating and gasoline. I have money for nothing else. I am going to go hungry in order to pay for Halo 3. Which is okay. But I cannot go hungry in order to buy Video Cards and such non-sense. Stop this madness!

Other than that, though, life is good. Today is the end of the school week, hallelujah. I am very happy about this fact, let me say. It's been an odd week for some reason, and I'm ready for the fresh start next week is in my mind. Also, I'm going to be hanging with my main man Zach tomorrow. And Sunday, the wedding of Aaron Cutshaw and Calli Burton. W00t.

You can get an RSS Feed of this blog to keep track of it. If you need help, check this out.

In closing, I need a freakin' bagle. Come bring me one.

-Chow

Call It Aftermath She's Turning Blue

Let me recount to you a tale of heroism...

Ron and I are working at the Cumberland UPS Store this past Saturday. It's not terribly busy or slow, just... so-so. I have recently bought a bagel and a soda. All is right in the world. Then a woman enters. The words she speaks into her blue-tooth ear piece are, I will find, deeply ironic:

"Don't do this to me now, I'm in a public place."

The tone is set for some fun now. She is not speaking low, as the use of ear-pieces require audible vocalization for the ear piece, which is no where near the direction the mouth opens. So she's speaking at normal level or louder. Okay, not terrible, she's just having a conversation.

Wrong.

"I said I want to f*cking be with you forever, and I meant it."

That's good, now we have a domestic squabble. That's cool, that's... you know, alright. Some jerk boyfriend! But apparently he's hysterical, bawling and stuff, making a mess of himself. All the while he is driving. Except he doesn't know where he is. The large woman is very irritated with her ear-piece boyfriend. Then a pause.

"What? I can't hear you! Did you get in an accident! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!"

Yes, an automobile accident. And the initial reaction of "what's wrong with you" begins to echo through out what happens. Fatty gets off that line and calls "Jeff." Then we find something interesting out. The boyfriend is actually the girlfriend. Yes, lesbians. Fat lesbians yelling on the phone, hooray! And then, better yet, Jeff is gay. A deal is struck!

"You call her, and I'll call yours and calm him down."

All will be made right soon. The big lesbian calls her girlfriend back, and now she's conciliatory. Tells her Jeff is coming as soon as they drop off the Mercedes. Why drop off the Mercedes?

"The exhaust dropped off."

Now through out this event, the woman has been cursing, quite vocally. This has taken her over an hour to do. She's folding envelopes and packing at our counter through out. Ron and I are just standing in awe. Ron is extremely uncomfortable, and I am amused to an equal level. This is great stuff.

Finally, she approaches to make her transaction.

Her: "How has your day been."

Me: "Interesting."

Her: "Not as interesting as mine."

Me: "Yeah I heard you talking with someone..."

Her: "That was my wife."

Yes, we have a gay marriage, torn apart, come to find, because our land bound lesbian Shamu was not in the mood to cut her wife's hair. That is the root cause of this. As it turns out, I cannot help her. Seems The UPS Store charges too much. With that, she leaves, her only gift to us in return for the used space, a delightfully story, here recounted.

Poll

At the Bottom of the Page.

Building A Successful Society - Overview

In defining what the Goals of a society are, we must look at the common threads all members of all societies have in their hopes of that society. All members of a society hope to be given a good standard of living. They all look to have the potential for self-improvement. They all look to be given a say in the direction their society moves. They all look to leave behind a legacy of their achievements.

In looking at these Goals, we need to define them better. A standard of living, in its raw form can be broken into parts. Sustenance, Shelter, Health, and Safety. Sustenance means nutritional and chemical needs of the body to continue functioning. Shelter means a place that is protected from the elements. Health is the protection from disease, dismemberment, and the rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses. Safety is the assurance of protection both against human and non-human threats to any of the other three standards of living, in addition to protection of that members place in society. Improving ones self in this context means an improvement in material goods, in personal knowledge, in personal experience, and in personal happiness. Influence on the society is the manner and degree of voice the member is given.

When we say a good standard of living, it is not an entirely subjective term. Good does not mean “survivable.” Good implies above average, and certainly above minimum. Good sustenance does mean the bare amount of water and calories needed to survive. It is the meeting of all the nutritional needs optimal for personal health as dictated by modern science. This implies, at present, the availability to all of grain, fruit, vegetable, meat, and dairy products, in a variety. It also means the availability of at minimum, the equivalent of 8 glasses of clean drinking water. Good Shelter does not mean a lean-to or a cardboard box. Good Shelter means a living space that will stand up to all elements, maintain comfortable atmosphere regardless of outside influence, and has enough room to comfortably hold all occupants. Good health does mean just being alive. Good health means freedom from disease, treatment of ailments when they do occur in a quick and thorough manner, and the application of reasonable preventative measures towards the health of all members. Good safety does not mean merely having a police force. It means having an un-corrupt, effective and compassionate police force that is fair and just. It means having well maintained civil services with trained and proficient staff. It means a guarantee of safety for the member’s material possessions, bodily whole, and the place within the society.

In order to meet these Goals, there are certain things the society must have in order to be successful. The presence of multiple sources of accurate, up-to-date information is the key to making informed decisions for the benefit of all. If several routes of delivering this information are provided, then there is a much higher likelihood of members being properly informed.

Another key to meeting these Goals is the necessity of enforcing the equality of all members. In order to ensure this, all members of the society must have an equal education. This means a full breadth of learning, all the way from kindergarten to college. This ensures all members the same knowledge and skills for pursuing their personal goals. All members need to have equal rights in the eyes of the society. This means rights in everything, from rights to own property to the right to vote, from the right to free speech to the right to choose a partner. Finally, all members need to have equal protection of these rights. All members should have their rights defended with equal vigor.

Further more, for these Goals to be met, all members of the society need to be integrated with it. In order for their voices to be effectively heard, they must feel as though they are truly a part of the society, not just administered to by it. Integration means active and passive participation, and an understanding of what the society is and does to the member and others.

Additionally, the society must co-exist with other societies around it to successfully meet the Goals. War is one of the most disruptive forces to a society, and one that almost guarantees a fall in standard of living, a lowered ability to improve ones self, and destruction of vital infrastructure. Unless a society can peacefully co-exist with its neighbors, it will not be able to ensure meeting of the Goals.

To meet the Goals, the society will have to provide means for the effective utilization and distribution of resources to all members. This means providing equal access to everyone, regardless of any other factors. It also means using the resources in an efficient and non-destructive fashion, and maintaining them in as renewable a fashion as possible.

All members must have input in defining these principles for each Society, so an open forum to all members is essential to meet the Goals. Not only must members have the ability to access information, they must have the ability to share their thoughts and ideas on the information. The society must have a reliable means for sharing ideas and desires if it is to meet the needs of all members.

Finally, in order for all the Goals to be met over a long period of time, the society must be capable of adapting to changes. Not only changes in the world, like climate, technology, or ecology. It must also adapt to changes within itself. As new ideas make parts of others irrelevant or contradictory, a consensus must be reached to create an understanding.

I Never Ever Meant To Hurt You, I Only Did What I Had To

BBC Headline: FBI Tries to Fight Zombie Hordes
Somewhere there is a British Editor who desperately needs to write more headlines.

Salutations! I pray everyone had a splendid Labour Day (British spelling of course) weekend. Mine was wonderful. Highlights:

• Facing three people at once in Chess and losing
• NOT having much homework
• Sleeping In
• Feeding someone's pony

Rented Gray Matters. It's a cutesy Romantic Comedy with a twist... turns out the male lead's sister is a lesbian with a thing for his honey! Hijinks ensue! It's a fun movie, though there are a couple glaring editing errors. My only real beef with it was a moment that turned into a huge political stump speech. I know I shouldn't have been surprised, given the political climate visa-vis homosexuality, but I was disappointed none-the-less. If you are going to make an activist movie... then do it. Don't ruin a romantic comedy with it! Oh well, I suppose one's agenda will emerge with or without one's support.

In other news, it is obvious that gas prices need to go down to like... a nickel a gallon. Am I right? I think so.

~Chow

Note: I do not know who's pony it was. Also, ponies have ridiculously large teeth for their mouths, and even more ridiculously over-sized heads for their bodies.

Won't Back Down, Really Can't Turn Around

Spitalfield is a very awkwardly named band that none-the-less makes good music. Something like a Sugarcult/Jimmy Eat World mash up. Really interesting, some good mellow songs, quite a few poppy songs, and a few harder, alterna-punk songs. I enjoy them enough to buy one of their albums (though it wasn't the one I intended to buy!)

In other news, I have been introduced to the concept of the "T-shaped" person. Someone with one major branch of skill (the vertical line of the "T") and then from there can branch out to everywhere. Apparently they are in high demand, which makes me happy, because I am quite the T-shaped person. I always thought I was wasting my time dabbling in everything from psychology to geo-politics, but apparently, it's a good thing.

That's a relief.

Some things I'm thinking about:

• A Guide to Romance for the masses, just to help some of the people who don't even get the basics.
• A design for a new Mass-transit system for the USA
• A piece on the duality of being American
• My wonderful girl friend who said "I love you" to me in 65 different languages
• The delicious chocolate-mocha swirl bagel I just ate

It's a good day.

~Chow