So I took the last trip to St Louis that I'm going to be able to afford for a while. Incidentally, I managed to keep myself within budget for the entire weekend, thanks in no small part to a now-wealthy friend with a penchant for spoiling me.
It just so happened that a midnight showing of Serenity was scheduled at the Tivoli, which was a nice surprise. After a thoroughly mediocre tribute band blew out our eardrums with a sound setup that had no business in a movie theater, I watched Serenity start to finish for the first time since learning of the existence of Firefly.
SPOILER WARNING!!!!
It's funny how my perspective changes. Up until Friday night, I had always built Zoe up to be a character that was dead inside. In my interpretation, she had lost everything worth fighting for long before the audience meets her. After the battle of Serenity she, like Mal, continued to exist out of pure spite. During the series, she finds somebody who makes her feel just some tiny spark of life once more, and Joss "I-hate-my-characters-and-want-them-all-to-suffer" Whedon kills that somebody off suddenly and unceremoniously. Shortly after this, Zoe charges headlong into a group of rabid monsters, very obviously trying to get herself killed.
Again, it was always my interpretation that the only reason Zoe was still walking around and hand't simply laid down to die was that she was a warrior to the core, and she couldn't not be fighting something. I thought this theory was supported by the fact that she only tried to kill herself when she could do it while fighting something.
After seeing the movie, having a brief conversation with Evan about it, and thinking it over, I find this interpretation to no longer be supportable. Yes, Zoe is a warrior, but her suicide attempt was a momentary break from her usual self, rather than a culmination of it. Looking back, I can see all kinds of little things that prove this, but none quite so much as the final scene. At her husband's funeral, we see her in a white dress. White is a universal color of hope, and a symbolism of the unknown (and therefore potentially good) clean slate that the future always brings. If the writers had truly intended to portray her as someone who would never again be happy, she would have been wearing black.
END SPOILERS!!
So yeah, my mind was mildly blown as I learn that I was misreading my favorite character in Firefly. Not really interesting enough to be worth the three paragraphs I spent explaining it, but nobody reads this thing anyway, right?
See what I did there? That's irony. It's funny.
I had lunch with Terra the following day, we went to a Thai restaurant. We are both in agreement that, while tasty, their noodle dishes use actual, store-bought Ramen noodles. Then we went to some thrift stores. I found the perfect shirt for three dollars, but it was just a tiny bit too small. I did buy Dreamland, because it has that guy from the Mac commercials ("I'm a Mac, he's a PC, notice that I'm young and attractive while he is old and stupid") and because it was only $3. Also, I want to know how a movie recognized at Sundance could end up in a bin.
That evening, I went bowling with some of Renny's friends and Dre's old college friend Brian. I don't know if it was the Thai food or what, but I wasn't feeling well at the outset of the evening. I should have politely declined the bowling and drinking frenzy that was promised, but it was my last night in St Louis and I wasn't about to be stopped by a little exhaustion/headache/oh-crap-is-this-H1N1!!?!?
So out I went, and I bowled one of the best games of my life. Although that's not to say that I bowled well.
Dre and Brian hadn't seen each other in years, so they spent the whole evening catching up. I didn't really know Renny's friends very well and I have a hard time making impressive introductions when my cranium feels like it's giving birth to Athena, so I ended up spending the majority of the night nursing a drink. Oddly enough, however, I enjoyed it all the same. After we bowled a game, we headed out to a rooftop bar on the strip, and I think I must have spent nearly an hour just sitting by the railing taking in the view. See, I really love St Louis. It may be the friends and the memories that make me love her, but the brick and mortar that make it up have always symbolized them. Since I didn't have any of said friends to hang out with, I just looked at the city I used to call home and happily reminisced with myself about good times. I'm sure it sounds boring, but I had this really nice introspective brood vibe going on, and in the end it was certainly better than staying home.
All in all, it was a fun and eventful trip, and I look forward to the day I can do it much more often.
This has been,
BS
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
None of these came from Fark.
I have nothing terribly relevant to relate right now, so what follows is some odd news from the past month.
A Frenchman, imprisoned and awaiting trial for the murder of two young girls, escaped prison by hiding inside a cardboard box.
What I find particularly interesting here is that the man has been in prison for five years, and his trial is still not scheduled until some time next year. There is also some DNA evidence that at least one other person may have been at the crime scene, and he continues to profess his innocence. It seems that being Solid Snake may have just been a faster way to get out of prison than being innocent.
I'm calling this one now: he didn't do it, and he broke out of prison to track down the real killer in the action-packed summer blockbuster of 2010.
But seriously, substantial evidence of another assailant and he spends 5 years without a trial. What's the deal, France? We thought you guys were cool...
Recently, scientists discovered a predecessor to the T-rex. Apparently, it is 100% identical to the T-Rex we know and love from Jurassic Park, only really tiny. Relatively speaking, anyway. About 150 lbs. Awesome. Judging from the picture, it was a punk rocker.
A bear mauled 9 people in Takayama, Japan. The Japanese victims, it seems, were not able to fight back with Kung Fu, ninjutsu, or samurai swords. I’m beginning to suspsect that many poorly dubbed movies may have lied to me.
Fortunately, while Japan is slacking in random acts of samurai, America is apparently compensating. A college student defended his home from an intruder by going all Darth Vader on a would-be robber, slicing his hand off with a katana. For extra measure, he proceeded to slash the man across his torso. FATALITY!
And finally, the creator of Shin-Chan is dead. Details currently unknown. Let those of us weep who know why we should.
A Frenchman, imprisoned and awaiting trial for the murder of two young girls, escaped prison by hiding inside a cardboard box.
What I find particularly interesting here is that the man has been in prison for five years, and his trial is still not scheduled until some time next year. There is also some DNA evidence that at least one other person may have been at the crime scene, and he continues to profess his innocence. It seems that being Solid Snake may have just been a faster way to get out of prison than being innocent.
I'm calling this one now: he didn't do it, and he broke out of prison to track down the real killer in the action-packed summer blockbuster of 2010.
But seriously, substantial evidence of another assailant and he spends 5 years without a trial. What's the deal, France? We thought you guys were cool...
Recently, scientists discovered a predecessor to the T-rex. Apparently, it is 100% identical to the T-Rex we know and love from Jurassic Park, only really tiny. Relatively speaking, anyway. About 150 lbs. Awesome. Judging from the picture, it was a punk rocker.
A bear mauled 9 people in Takayama, Japan. The Japanese victims, it seems, were not able to fight back with Kung Fu, ninjutsu, or samurai swords. I’m beginning to suspsect that many poorly dubbed movies may have lied to me.
Fortunately, while Japan is slacking in random acts of samurai, America is apparently compensating. A college student defended his home from an intruder by going all Darth Vader on a would-be robber, slicing his hand off with a katana. For extra measure, he proceeded to slash the man across his torso. FATALITY!
And finally, the creator of Shin-Chan is dead. Details currently unknown. Let those of us weep who know why we should.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back!
So I've been maintaining radio silence for nigh on two months now. Why, if you hadn't seen me at the pirates vs ninjas party (and you might not have- I was a ninja) you might be wondering if I was lying dead in a gutter somewhere.
But no, I've just been occupied. Jumping from one full-time semester to another may not be as taxing as, you know, an actual job, but I've been spoiled over the last year so it fits my definition of being very busy. In a couple of months, however, I'll be finishing my last full-time semester. After that, it's just a couple of Spring classes and the CPA exam standing between me and those precious sheets of paper that say "hire this guy, he knows stuff." For those just tuning in, those pieces of paper would be a master's degree in Accounting and a CPA license.
Recruiters are interviewing at my school, and this is a mixed prospect for me. On the one hand, I should be absolutely pumped, because it's the best chance I'll have at a job with a big-name firm in my chosen field. On the other hand, that firm will most likely hire me out of their KC office, leaving trapped for another year or two in the horrible, awful place I call home. To be fair, KC isn't so horrible, but it is frightfully boring, and the people here just aren't as cool.
Speaking of cool people, the Pirates Vs. Ninjas party was awesome. The costumes were awesome, the decorations were awesome, and the people were awesome. I apparently looked a good bit less ridiculous in my costume than I expected (in spite of the frosted hair), but I think I drank enough to compensate. It was great seeing old friends, and it was equally great meeting some new ones. Terra, you are an epic party planner. Every clique of friends needs to have somebody like you.
In other news, the KC RenFest is going on, and there's an open invitation through mid-October for anyone who wants to attend and would like a free place to crash. My family has spare bedrooms and we've been itching for an excuse to use the basement for something festive ever since we remodeled it last century. The weekend of the 17th and 18th is apparently some kind of vampire night, although the friendly KC RenFair staff doesn't seem too sure on the particulars. The flyer specifically advertises it as a night involving vampires, however, so I for one plan to run with that. Anybody know a cheap way to get some fangs molded?
That's about all I wanted to say regarding myself, the rest of this post only applies to you if you own or have access to an Xbox and have not yet played Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Go. Go now, to Blockbuster, and rent Batman. They finally did it right, and it is glorious. This game has stealth, action, exploration, and puzzle-solving, and it's all done beautifully.
The stealth, for the most part, can be taken or left at your leisure. There's none of that Splinter Cell malarkey where somebody sees you and calls in 50 armed guys on his radio. They shoot you, but Batman's a resilient fellow and just so long as you aren't charging headlong into a group of armed thugs, you'll muddle through those segments with minimal effort. If you enjoy it, however you can play up the stealth bit, bypassing any actual combat almost entirely by ninja-ing all over the room, taking your foes out one by one. The fun part about this is that as their numbers dwindle, the enemies grow increasingly frightened. The more you spook them, the more they forget to work as a team. One guy might freak out and break away from the group, giving you a chance to nab him by himself as he rounds a corner; naturally, this serves to further scare the bajeesus out of his comrades, and by the end of the fight they're actually crying as they randomly empty their clips into shadows while you sneak up behind them.
The hand-to-hand combat, as is usually the case, takes a little bit of effort to get the feel of, but once you realize how it works you can seamlessly string together long, intricate combos. The game particularly does a good job of balancing good play control with a cinematic camera. The combat flows well, feels visceral, and looks good.
As the game begins, Batman is the same badass he always was. You can batgun around a room to hide from your enemies, you can fistfight half a dozen men without breaking a sweat, and right from the get-go you feel like Batman. As the game progresses, Batman acquires ever more wonderful toys that, when used properly, give you new ways to explore the game world and reach new areas. Riddler has busted out of Arkham and hidden random trophies for you to find, which gives Batman's new gadgets a number of creative applications over and above a new method of stomping people into the ground.
What might be my favorite part of this game are the puzzles Riddler leaves for you. It's utterly ancillary to the game's storyline and can be completely ignored if you don't like it, but the more intellectual players will have a wonderful time solving his obscure puzzles, especially if you can do a good Adam West impersonation while you're at it.
The game's story starts off with Joker tied up in the Batmobile as he is dragged off to Arkham. He is being dragged there because somebody thought it would be a good idea to take all of the genius, super-powered, villains that Batman fights and shove them all into one complex in the center of a heavily populated city. While the inevitable jailbreak would have made the perfect excuse for Batman to fight every classic villain from his old books in one day, the game's writers exercised a remarkable amount of restraint. Most of the mainstays such as Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, and Penguin have all seem to have high-tailed it while they had the chance in hopes of starring in the sequel.
While several minor (and less fruity) characters factor into the game, Joker is the only headliner, and Mark Hamill absolutely knocks it out of the park on the voice acting. If you've never read Batman comic books, Hamill's performance will give you a good idea why everybody thinks Joker is such an awesome character.
This game's only real drawback is that most people won't find themselves playing it twice, which makes it a little unwise to invest the $60 and shelf space required to own it. I strongly recommend renting it the next time you have a long weekend with nothing better to do.
But no, I've just been occupied. Jumping from one full-time semester to another may not be as taxing as, you know, an actual job, but I've been spoiled over the last year so it fits my definition of being very busy. In a couple of months, however, I'll be finishing my last full-time semester. After that, it's just a couple of Spring classes and the CPA exam standing between me and those precious sheets of paper that say "hire this guy, he knows stuff." For those just tuning in, those pieces of paper would be a master's degree in Accounting and a CPA license.
Recruiters are interviewing at my school, and this is a mixed prospect for me. On the one hand, I should be absolutely pumped, because it's the best chance I'll have at a job with a big-name firm in my chosen field. On the other hand, that firm will most likely hire me out of their KC office, leaving trapped for another year or two in the horrible, awful place I call home. To be fair, KC isn't so horrible, but it is frightfully boring, and the people here just aren't as cool.
Speaking of cool people, the Pirates Vs. Ninjas party was awesome. The costumes were awesome, the decorations were awesome, and the people were awesome. I apparently looked a good bit less ridiculous in my costume than I expected (in spite of the frosted hair), but I think I drank enough to compensate. It was great seeing old friends, and it was equally great meeting some new ones. Terra, you are an epic party planner. Every clique of friends needs to have somebody like you.
In other news, the KC RenFest is going on, and there's an open invitation through mid-October for anyone who wants to attend and would like a free place to crash. My family has spare bedrooms and we've been itching for an excuse to use the basement for something festive ever since we remodeled it last century. The weekend of the 17th and 18th is apparently some kind of vampire night, although the friendly KC RenFair staff doesn't seem too sure on the particulars. The flyer specifically advertises it as a night involving vampires, however, so I for one plan to run with that. Anybody know a cheap way to get some fangs molded?
That's about all I wanted to say regarding myself, the rest of this post only applies to you if you own or have access to an Xbox and have not yet played Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Go. Go now, to Blockbuster, and rent Batman. They finally did it right, and it is glorious. This game has stealth, action, exploration, and puzzle-solving, and it's all done beautifully.
The stealth, for the most part, can be taken or left at your leisure. There's none of that Splinter Cell malarkey where somebody sees you and calls in 50 armed guys on his radio. They shoot you, but Batman's a resilient fellow and just so long as you aren't charging headlong into a group of armed thugs, you'll muddle through those segments with minimal effort. If you enjoy it, however you can play up the stealth bit, bypassing any actual combat almost entirely by ninja-ing all over the room, taking your foes out one by one. The fun part about this is that as their numbers dwindle, the enemies grow increasingly frightened. The more you spook them, the more they forget to work as a team. One guy might freak out and break away from the group, giving you a chance to nab him by himself as he rounds a corner; naturally, this serves to further scare the bajeesus out of his comrades, and by the end of the fight they're actually crying as they randomly empty their clips into shadows while you sneak up behind them.
The hand-to-hand combat, as is usually the case, takes a little bit of effort to get the feel of, but once you realize how it works you can seamlessly string together long, intricate combos. The game particularly does a good job of balancing good play control with a cinematic camera. The combat flows well, feels visceral, and looks good.
As the game begins, Batman is the same badass he always was. You can batgun around a room to hide from your enemies, you can fistfight half a dozen men without breaking a sweat, and right from the get-go you feel like Batman. As the game progresses, Batman acquires ever more wonderful toys that, when used properly, give you new ways to explore the game world and reach new areas. Riddler has busted out of Arkham and hidden random trophies for you to find, which gives Batman's new gadgets a number of creative applications over and above a new method of stomping people into the ground.
What might be my favorite part of this game are the puzzles Riddler leaves for you. It's utterly ancillary to the game's storyline and can be completely ignored if you don't like it, but the more intellectual players will have a wonderful time solving his obscure puzzles, especially if you can do a good Adam West impersonation while you're at it.
The game's story starts off with Joker tied up in the Batmobile as he is dragged off to Arkham. He is being dragged there because somebody thought it would be a good idea to take all of the genius, super-powered, villains that Batman fights and shove them all into one complex in the center of a heavily populated city. While the inevitable jailbreak would have made the perfect excuse for Batman to fight every classic villain from his old books in one day, the game's writers exercised a remarkable amount of restraint. Most of the mainstays such as Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, and Penguin have all seem to have high-tailed it while they had the chance in hopes of starring in the sequel.
While several minor (and less fruity) characters factor into the game, Joker is the only headliner, and Mark Hamill absolutely knocks it out of the park on the voice acting. If you've never read Batman comic books, Hamill's performance will give you a good idea why everybody thinks Joker is such an awesome character.
This game's only real drawback is that most people won't find themselves playing it twice, which makes it a little unwise to invest the $60 and shelf space required to own it. I strongly recommend renting it the next time you have a long weekend with nothing better to do.
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