Those of you who watch my blog - the very few - will have noticed that the postings have slowed down of late. Some might say they've stopped. Speculation on why this may be ranges from 'He got a life' to 'Maybe that girl he says he's seeing is real' to 'the Iceland ash cloud. obviously' to 'Aliens! He can't have a real girl!'.
The first of these is most accurate, as I've been jumping around America for the past two weeks or so causing what chaos I could. After a brief stop over in Buffalo it was off to Chicago for four days with Raven, and that was a lot of fun. Sadly I didn't see too much of Chicago, but I think I can cope. Then back to Buffalo for a week or so with m friends there; a couple of improv shows, some parties, generally having a lot of fun.
What have I gained out of this? Well, lots. But, aside from certain obvious benefits, I have learned how much I missed my friends I left here, which is odd since we all know any friendships here involving me have a time-limit, as I live in England - much to the chagrin of some. However, coming back was great and it was almost like I never left. Which is good, but kinda scary.
I've also learned that there is quite a high percentage of the population that doesn't use Facebook. Which is fine, but since I don't have cell numbers for anyone getting in touch is difficult; I had to stalk one person out of the student union and half way to their dorms. I felt creepy so it's anyone's guess what I looked like.
Gamegirl and Conscience will be glad to here everything went okay for myself and Raven and that we don't hate each other. Conscience won't want to know the details but I'm sure Gameboy - Gamegirl's boyfriend (yes, imaginatively named, I know) - will ask about it so she'll end up knowing. I'm looking forward to seeing them all again when I go home, but there is a significant part of me that wants to bring my American friends back for a bit.
It's too bad the Iceland ash cloud has cleared up, or looks to be cleared up, or I could feasibly delay my flight home for a while and stay out here longer, pleasing several parties. We'll have to see what happens, maybe God will take a hand in it. Although it really wouldn't serve a higher purpose than making me happy and possibly reducing the chances of my dissertation being written.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Monday, 5 April 2010
"Better Infamous Than Forgotten"
I've discovered I have to return to my university city a day or so early because of academic events I cannot miss - namely, an in-class exam - but today is being left free for a little bit more time with friends and family, in the spirit of Easter and the national holiday Easter Monday is. However, I have nothing to do for a while and the day drags on when you're doing nothing. So, to try and escape criminal levels of boredom, I googled myself.
I got a link to linkedin.com, a business networking website, where I was listed under 'pubs'; I believe this means public profiles, not public houses, otherwise the site is direly misinformed. However, the profile is missing which either means I should make one - not likely right now - or I should forget it and go about my life as I have done for the last twentysomething years.
The other link of interest I got - that wasn't for some kind of networking site - was a biography site and a short entry claiming some of my relative moved to America at some point. For interest, here it is:
[MyName] farmer, sec. 24; P. O., Vermont; was born here in 1833, son of James and Lydia (Mercer), natives of Ohio; his father came on foot to Illinois, and being overtaken by the deep snow (1830-31), he became discouraged and returned to Ohio in the spring, but in 1833 he settled permanently in this county; he died in 1868, and his wife died when John was but 10 years of age; the latter received a liberal education; in the last war he enlisted in Yates' Battalion of sharpshooters, and was in many a sharp encounter. He married Mahala B. Petty, daughter of John Petty, of Indiana, and their children are Minnie, Irving, and Jesse.
Riveting stuff right? After reading this, I decided I didn't want to become a paragraph on some little known website or a footnote in a census after I die. Quite how I'm going to achieve greatness is as yet unclear. I am working towards becoming a published author but that's not the easiest thing in the world by a long shot. One of my 'friends' suggested a one man genocide. We're not friends on Facebook, so obviously it's not an official position. He's more of an acquaintance. Especially now; it's not that I don't like him, but it's not something that you should really suggest loudly in a crowded pub. I left quickly.
So, I'm taking ideas at the moment. Chu, my youngest brother, has yet to give any constructive help and my other younger brother, Mandarin, is in China and so slightly less than easily contactable. Most people are encouraging me down the path I've chosen - that of the author, not the genocide artist - including Rebel, Gamegirl and Raven, the girl I've given myself to (that's horribly close to a girlfriend reference. I don't really know another way to describe her though, so I'll have to see how she likes it). Conscience, one of my closest friends who usually plays the role she's been named after for me, also supports me but is kind of having to deal with her own university fallout at the moment. She's been a graduate for nearly a year, and it sounds like she has a little longer left before she's properly using her degree.
But in my quest for greatness, I feel I should have a contingency plan. I'll be running a few ideas past the world via this blog, rather than by practice, mainly for your entertainment, Reader, so if you ever get that slightly less than bored you need to be to come here you may get some entertainment. In the meantime, it might be worth thinking of your own path to greatness so that you have your place in history. There might not be a fountain of youth, but you can be immortal and un-aging in the minds of millions if you try.
[The last quote is from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassuss. The title quote is Napolean. You decide which has more merit in your opinion, but Napo's got my vote.]
I got a link to linkedin.com, a business networking website, where I was listed under 'pubs'; I believe this means public profiles, not public houses, otherwise the site is direly misinformed. However, the profile is missing which either means I should make one - not likely right now - or I should forget it and go about my life as I have done for the last twentysomething years.
The other link of interest I got - that wasn't for some kind of networking site - was a biography site and a short entry claiming some of my relative moved to America at some point. For interest, here it is:
[MyName] farmer, sec. 24; P. O., Vermont; was born here in 1833, son of James and Lydia (Mercer), natives of Ohio; his father came on foot to Illinois, and being overtaken by the deep snow (1830-31), he became discouraged and returned to Ohio in the spring, but in 1833 he settled permanently in this county; he died in 1868, and his wife died when John was but 10 years of age; the latter received a liberal education; in the last war he enlisted in Yates' Battalion of sharpshooters, and was in many a sharp encounter. He married Mahala B. Petty, daughter of John Petty, of Indiana, and their children are Minnie, Irving, and Jesse.
Riveting stuff right? After reading this, I decided I didn't want to become a paragraph on some little known website or a footnote in a census after I die. Quite how I'm going to achieve greatness is as yet unclear. I am working towards becoming a published author but that's not the easiest thing in the world by a long shot. One of my 'friends' suggested a one man genocide. We're not friends on Facebook, so obviously it's not an official position. He's more of an acquaintance. Especially now; it's not that I don't like him, but it's not something that you should really suggest loudly in a crowded pub. I left quickly.
So, I'm taking ideas at the moment. Chu, my youngest brother, has yet to give any constructive help and my other younger brother, Mandarin, is in China and so slightly less than easily contactable. Most people are encouraging me down the path I've chosen - that of the author, not the genocide artist - including Rebel, Gamegirl and Raven, the girl I've given myself to (that's horribly close to a girlfriend reference. I don't really know another way to describe her though, so I'll have to see how she likes it). Conscience, one of my closest friends who usually plays the role she's been named after for me, also supports me but is kind of having to deal with her own university fallout at the moment. She's been a graduate for nearly a year, and it sounds like she has a little longer left before she's properly using her degree.
But in my quest for greatness, I feel I should have a contingency plan. I'll be running a few ideas past the world via this blog, rather than by practice, mainly for your entertainment, Reader, so if you ever get that slightly less than bored you need to be to come here you may get some entertainment. In the meantime, it might be worth thinking of your own path to greatness so that you have your place in history. There might not be a fountain of youth, but you can be immortal and un-aging in the minds of millions if you try.
[The last quote is from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassuss. The title quote is Napolean. You decide which has more merit in your opinion, but Napo's got my vote.]
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Strange people.
We all know at least one; a person who will more often than not do things that are very out of the ordinary. Sometimes you get whole families of them, who do the same strange things (sometimes referred to as 'cults') or who do lots of different strange things (sometimes referred to as 'inbred'). So I know you, The Reader, will know the sort of person I am speaking of.
This post began while I was out with Rebel and Gamegirl - Gamegirl, like Rebel, is a housemate of mine currently. We were out for a meal at a rather fantastic all you can eat buffet and Gamegirl mentioned she couldn't access my new blog posts because I hadn't put the link up on facebook. I told there weren't many new posts, as the very few people who read this will be able to corroborate, but she insisted and so the link is now back in public domain. She also said I should write new posts to increase their number. Fancy that, effort equals productivity.
Any how, since it's coming up to deadline time again I need to procrastinate for no good reason and this blog does provide me with quite the opportunity. What could I write my new posts on though? My recent misadventures involving the M25? No, as a Greater London local I have dealt with the pain, anguish and hardship of the M25 for long enough that it doesn't rile me suitably to require a rant or blog post. My love life? While that may be interesting for some of you Readers, I've already said that I'm not going to go into that kind of thing here - "HAHA!" the Reader cries, "It's actually because you don't have one, isn't that right you sad little Chadrock?" Currently, that statement is closer to being false than true actually. I just don't want to publish it online. Could I write about the wonders of the all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet I went to? Well, here goes:
It's a buffet. Of Chinese food. And you can have as much as you want for fourteen British Sterling/$20 equivalent. The food is good and service is pleasingly fast. Those are the wonders. Share, indulge and enjoy.
Not so interesting as a blogpost, right? So I was still kind of flailing around cognitively for an idea this morning when my course friend BluesBoy revealed he had to print an essay off after class and hand it in. Not amazing in itself, the video he showed me while it was printing was.
Have you ever heard of Live Action Role Playing (L.A.R.Ping), Reader? If not, go abuse youtube for a while and have a look around for it. You'll find something. If you're too lazy to navigate away from my page, then I shall provide a brief explanation: grown men and women go out into the woodland or some other secluded area away from regular society and dress up as fantasy characters from games such as World of Warcraft and re-enact battles from the history of that game or from the game itself. Like when you were eight years old and played Cowboys & Indians with your friends, only slightly more organized and there's a set of rules. No, I don't know them. No, I don't LARP. I do, however, find the idea at the same time comforting and hilarious. All shall be explained later.
First, I finally reach the point of my new post; Live Avatar Role Playing. Yes, like from the film. With the blue people/Na'vi. The people of Hometree, Wisconsin have set up their own fantastic (nb; of fantasy) reserve that they attempt to model on Pandora. This was the video on youtube that BluesBoy showed me. This takes LARPing to a whole new level; WoW has a huge player base, or 'population', and so I find it more understandable that people would want to LARP from it's history and literature. Avatar may have a big following and high success rate but it's not in the same league as WoW or most cyberpunk cults. Live Avatar Role Playing takes my feelings of comfort and hilarity to a whole new level, which I will explain now.
Comfort: If this...activity makes them happy, then fine. Great. I'm glad for them. If painting yourself blue and running around sparse woodland and speaking in invented languages, go for it. Just like the normal(?) LARPers, I shouldn't come down harshly on these people. They're not hurting me so why should I worry?
Hilarity: Really? I mean, really? Grown adults who are meant to be mature and sensible do this kind of thing for entertainment? Thinking about it, it's not quite as bad as grown men hiding in trees and yelling "Lghtning Bolt!" while throwing representative twigs, but it's close. "This is how I feel comfortable, why should I be ashamed? It's like it's my real skin." Yeah, right. Which is why you paint it on.
BluesBoy and his housemate Firehead have actually turned up during the writing of this blog. There was a brief discussion about the video during Guitar Hero, along the lines of, 'It can't be real, they're just actors. Their speeches were too good and there weren't any mistakes,' but while that could be true if these people are confident enough I don't think they'd stutter or have problems talking about it on camera.
Decide for yourself; youtube Live Avatar Role Playing and see the strangeness for yourself. Whatever you decide, I'm leaving it well enough alone. I have to go shopping for stuff to cause chaos with in my last class ever. Wish me luck.
(Note: Their archery is terrible and the joining ritual just doesn't translate well into role play. Do not try this at home.)
This post began while I was out with Rebel and Gamegirl - Gamegirl, like Rebel, is a housemate of mine currently. We were out for a meal at a rather fantastic all you can eat buffet and Gamegirl mentioned she couldn't access my new blog posts because I hadn't put the link up on facebook. I told there weren't many new posts, as the very few people who read this will be able to corroborate, but she insisted and so the link is now back in public domain. She also said I should write new posts to increase their number. Fancy that, effort equals productivity.
Any how, since it's coming up to deadline time again I need to procrastinate for no good reason and this blog does provide me with quite the opportunity. What could I write my new posts on though? My recent misadventures involving the M25? No, as a Greater London local I have dealt with the pain, anguish and hardship of the M25 for long enough that it doesn't rile me suitably to require a rant or blog post. My love life? While that may be interesting for some of you Readers, I've already said that I'm not going to go into that kind of thing here - "HAHA!" the Reader cries, "It's actually because you don't have one, isn't that right you sad little Chadrock?" Currently, that statement is closer to being false than true actually. I just don't want to publish it online. Could I write about the wonders of the all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet I went to? Well, here goes:
It's a buffet. Of Chinese food. And you can have as much as you want for fourteen British Sterling/$20 equivalent. The food is good and service is pleasingly fast. Those are the wonders. Share, indulge and enjoy.
Not so interesting as a blogpost, right? So I was still kind of flailing around cognitively for an idea this morning when my course friend BluesBoy revealed he had to print an essay off after class and hand it in. Not amazing in itself, the video he showed me while it was printing was.
Have you ever heard of Live Action Role Playing (L.A.R.Ping), Reader? If not, go abuse youtube for a while and have a look around for it. You'll find something. If you're too lazy to navigate away from my page, then I shall provide a brief explanation: grown men and women go out into the woodland or some other secluded area away from regular society and dress up as fantasy characters from games such as World of Warcraft and re-enact battles from the history of that game or from the game itself. Like when you were eight years old and played Cowboys & Indians with your friends, only slightly more organized and there's a set of rules. No, I don't know them. No, I don't LARP. I do, however, find the idea at the same time comforting and hilarious. All shall be explained later.
First, I finally reach the point of my new post; Live Avatar Role Playing. Yes, like from the film. With the blue people/Na'vi. The people of Hometree, Wisconsin have set up their own fantastic (nb; of fantasy) reserve that they attempt to model on Pandora. This was the video on youtube that BluesBoy showed me. This takes LARPing to a whole new level; WoW has a huge player base, or 'population', and so I find it more understandable that people would want to LARP from it's history and literature. Avatar may have a big following and high success rate but it's not in the same league as WoW or most cyberpunk cults. Live Avatar Role Playing takes my feelings of comfort and hilarity to a whole new level, which I will explain now.
Comfort: If this...activity makes them happy, then fine. Great. I'm glad for them. If painting yourself blue and running around sparse woodland and speaking in invented languages, go for it. Just like the normal(?) LARPers, I shouldn't come down harshly on these people. They're not hurting me so why should I worry?
Hilarity: Really? I mean, really? Grown adults who are meant to be mature and sensible do this kind of thing for entertainment? Thinking about it, it's not quite as bad as grown men hiding in trees and yelling "Lghtning Bolt!" while throwing representative twigs, but it's close. "This is how I feel comfortable, why should I be ashamed? It's like it's my real skin." Yeah, right. Which is why you paint it on.
BluesBoy and his housemate Firehead have actually turned up during the writing of this blog. There was a brief discussion about the video during Guitar Hero, along the lines of, 'It can't be real, they're just actors. Their speeches were too good and there weren't any mistakes,' but while that could be true if these people are confident enough I don't think they'd stutter or have problems talking about it on camera.
Decide for yourself; youtube Live Avatar Role Playing and see the strangeness for yourself. Whatever you decide, I'm leaving it well enough alone. I have to go shopping for stuff to cause chaos with in my last class ever. Wish me luck.
(Note: Their archery is terrible and the joining ritual just doesn't translate well into role play. Do not try this at home.)
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