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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jan 29, 2009 1:31:49 GMT -5
I'm not really a political person and, honestly, I think most people would be happier knowing that I have no plans to run for office. When voting time comes around, I normally just do a few quick weeks of research to figure out who best matches my views (which pretty much always means that I settle on a third-party candidate who I'll feel good about voting for even though there's no real shot of them winning, sadly...never forget, people, that the last time we elected a Third Party candidate, he ended the Civil War and slavery! Look beyond the big two! Food for thought! But I digress...) and vote for them. Win or lose I wind up with the "right to complain" (which is the thing that's been getting so much hype for the past several years whenever voting comes up. It's almost like complaining is worth more to people than being happy with results, and based on the Internet I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. I'm digressing again, I gotta stop that), and some new politician in office.
I didn't vote for Obama, but I figured that I'd give him a month to get over the "opening night jitters" and see how he shapes up after that. I was always a bit dissapointed with some of the respect that Clinton and Bush received from their detractors, as so few have respect for the office and are willing to tear down what the office represents just because they dislike (or in some cases actively hate and wish ill) the current commander in chief.
Now, at the store where I work, some amusing little Obama dolls. They claim to be action figures, but really all it does is look dramatic, and you can pose one of the hands so that he's pointing out into the distance. Kinda fun looking, and if not for the fact that it was produced in China, probably by sweatshop labor, I'm sure that the toy collector in me would've enjoyed picking up one just for the novelty of the thing.
It's weird, though. The things that people say about these action figures when they see them as they stand in line. It's eerie, really. I had hoped that after the laughable "Anyone But Bush" campaign of 2004 people would be calmer about such things, but I guess not.
Oh, and as of Tuesday, we haven't sold any yet. Like I said, I would've bought one, but it was made in China, as are so many action figures.
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Post by CBG on Jan 29, 2009 8:21:37 GMT -5
I'm just glad Affy's okay.
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jan 29, 2009 9:15:34 GMT -5
I'll never be okay, not as long as peppermint hot chocolate is so hard to track down!
*Marches down the street in protest*
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jan 29, 2009 15:15:16 GMT -5
It's weird, though. The things that people say about these action figures when they see them as they stand in line. It's eerie, really. I had hoped that after the laughable "Anyone But Bush" campaign of 2004 people would be calmer about such things, but I guess not. What kind of things do people say?
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jan 29, 2009 18:31:08 GMT -5
Well, it's mostly grumbled comments about what they think he'll do to the political landscape. One guy did talk about purchasing one for use as target practice, though.
Basically, stuff that, to me, demonstrates just how far I live from a market that appreciates novelty toys.
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Post by solgroupie on Jan 29, 2009 23:40:22 GMT -5
I'm just glad Affy's okay. i'm just glad that change is glad that affy's okay!
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Post by callipygias on Jan 29, 2009 23:47:34 GMT -5
I'm just glad Affy's okay. i'm just glad that change is glad that affy's okay! I'm just glad that solgroupie is glad that change is glad that Affy's okay.
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jan 30, 2009 11:48:46 GMT -5
i'm just glad that change is glad that affy's okay! I'm just glad that solgroupie is glad that change is glad that Affy's okay. And I'm just glad that callipygias is glad that solgroupie is glad that Change is glad that I'm okay.
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Post by CBG on Jan 30, 2009 12:04:36 GMT -5
...and the cycle is complete.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Jan 30, 2009 14:26:08 GMT -5
...and the cycle is complete. I'm happy about that.
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Post by CBG on Jan 30, 2009 14:47:13 GMT -5
I'm glad you're hap-...NOW CUT THAT OUT!!
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jan 30, 2009 18:50:27 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]THIS! WEEK! IN! WEBCOMICS!!![/glow] Alright, everyone! It's time for our second issue of This Week In Webcomics, and since I missed last week's update perhaps I should change the name to This Fortnight In Webcomics? Perhaps... There's a lot of good stuff going on out there...too much...but I'm going to mention two things specifically. First, at Sluggy Freelance (www.sluggy.com) we've seen the conclusion of the Spider's Apprentice story, as well as a shocking post-party revelation from Zoe about her career. In addition, the heroes called off the previously mentioned party when Gwynn recognized a corporate logo/evil symbol, and naturally both of the two major, evil corporations watching the Sluggy gang have already started acting on their knowledge. Amazingly, Oasis has not yet entered the story, apart from being mentioned. The other thing I was to mention comes from Dave Willis' Shortpacked! comic strip. One of the most popular phrases with Batman is the "I'm Batman" line, and it has entered into pop culture on its own in some ways. Shortpacked! has used that line in the majority of its strips featuring Batman (being initially kicked off with the brilliantly executed line, "I'm Batman. And I can Breathe in Space.") Anyway, Shortpacked! has always acted as something of a lens for pop culture. It'd be hard to call it a method of reviewing movies and such, but if you're a fan of video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, or especially toys, then odds are there's been some strip in here that can relate to you. This last week, Shortpacked! discussed one of the biggest changes in the current DC comics continuity and used the "I'm Batman" line in a way that was simultaneously funny and heartwrenching. www.shortpacked.com/d/20090128.htmlMore to the point, this entire week has been effortlessly merging the pop-satire and the story of its main characters. Ethan, the lead character in Shortpacked!, has betrayed his principles recently, and the past several weeks have been hard on his decisions. The comparisons between Ethan and Batman are growing staggeringly interestingly to watch unfold. Anyway, that's all I've got for you this week. Tune in next week (or next fortnight, perhaps) for another edition of This Week In Webcomics!
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Feb 4, 2009 0:39:52 GMT -5
Well...February 3rd is here.
This means that Christmas is technically over.
I say that we should all remember to keep the lessons of Christmas in our hearts, complete with peace and goodwill to all mankind.
Time to go back to my normal screenname, I guess...
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Feb 5, 2009 19:42:45 GMT -5
Okay, so, remember my car story from earlier? One of the fun aspects of that involves a lot of waiting at various places for rides. Not my favorite activity, but necessary as I go to and from work.
I'm currently waiting at the library, and I decided that while I waited I needed to try reading some classic horror. I've never really gotten into the horror genre at all, which has always been a gaping hole in my literary background. The only one of the classics that I've ever read was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (which I enjoyed, by the way.)
Oh, and in case you couldn't guess, SPOILER WARNING! I'LL SPOIL THINGS! I'M GONNA SPOIL A STORY, WATCHOUT WATCHOUT WATCHOUT, SPOILER WARNING! STEPHANIE BROWN'S LURKING IN THE SHADOWS!
Looking over the library's collection, my first insight was that the library doesn't have a single unabridged copy of Dracula anywhere. This strikes me as odd. There's a graphic novel that doesn't say "unabridged" on it, but I'm going to assume that, since it's a graphic novel, it's been abridged a bit.
What I found was the Lovecraft section, and I've been meaning to look into it. I've heard only the bare bones that everyone already knows: monstrous Cthullhu, man was not meant to know, endless horror, insanity ensues, we're all doomed, etc., etc. So I picked up a collection of Lovecraft's short stories and decided to open up to the first one (I was very tempted to skip to the middle of the book and just start with The Call of Cthullhu, but I didn't.)
Every time I've ever seen a horror movie, the hype kills it for me. I watch fully expecting that I'm going to be terrified beyond the ability to sit still, and each time I end the movie by saying, "Well, it was good, yes...but people think it's scary?"
I was kind of expecting the same thing from Lovecraft that I always expect from horror films, and it lead to the same result. That's not to say that it wasn't a good read, but I just wanna say that I expected my blood to curdle a bit. Do I set my standards too high?
Anyway, the story I started with was "The Rats in the Walls." It was fun, gave me a few names and phrases to look up, and as the narrator and friends searched his ancestral home, I couldn't help but think fondly of the first time that I played Zork 1: The Great Underground Empire.
Now, a lot about the end of the story confused me, I'm willing to admit that. I read it through a couple times to make sure that I wasn't missing anything (I tend to doze when I read if I'm in a comfy enough chair, and the library stocks comfy chairs aplenty.) I did pick up on the cannibalism that must have gone on in this hidden city, but that was about it.
So I went to wikipedia and looked over its explanation, and I have to say, wikipedia, I don't think I quite see where you're coming from over the whole thing. I mean, humans devolving into a cattle-like race? It seemed more likely to me that this was some other human ancestral race, and that the city had lasted for many thousands of years. Based on what was said, that seemed more reasonable.
...though now as I'm typing it, a few of the things said by the narrator after he goes crazy, are starting to click into place. Hmmm...
Ah, well. I've read two Lovecraft stories now. Nothing else to report (except that my ride still isn't here, grrr...)
PS-The other story was "The Painting in the House."
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Feb 5, 2009 20:12:26 GMT -5
Maybe half of Lovecraft's work I really like, and half not so much. Even with the ones I do like, you have to take them with a grain of salt - the writing is intentionally old-fashioned, even more so than typical for the period, and a lot of the things he writes about are absurd in the light of reason. You have to accept them within the story. Even with his problems, I like quite a few of his stories because they are more successful than almost anything else at evoking moods of unease, not so much outright horror.
I think his best work by far is At the Mountains of Madness - it provides a more "grounded" explanation for his mythological work, but it also has by far the most successfully sustained mood of his works. It shows a lot of stuff, but what it doesn't show is even more intriguing. I enjoy quite a few of his works, but this one is actually on my list of all-time favorite stories. I'd be curious to hear if you read it.
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