8 posts from July 2008

A short music post!

What I'm listening to right now:

I always enjoy telling myself that I'm starting a new "segment" on my blog, so let's go ahead and say this can be a new segment--knowing I will probably never make another post like this again.

Final Fantasy VIII--FFVIII, for us cool kids--came out shortly after I'd gotten my Playstation and fallen in love with Final Fantasy VII.  FF7 I loved, but 8... 8 was something else for me.  It remains probably my favorite game of all time (perhaps even trumping the classic NES, Sega, and SNES games I love so much!), and although my gaming days are mostly over, I still can't think of FF8 without getting all squishy inside.  (For you other gamers, I know, I know--FF7 is apparently infinitely better, but I can't help it.  Nothing ever moved me the way 8 did.)  My most memorable moment of the game is the scene I'm about to post.  Now YouTube has made it convenient for me to watch whenever I want; back in the Day, however, I reserved a precious memory card spot for this video alone so I could watch it whenever I wanted.  (And I'll never forget the nice/nerdily cute guy who worked at Electronics Boutique who confessed he had done the same thing.)  Aside from the fact that this was just gorgeous animation (especially at the time; I think it still is), I love love loved the music, and the music of Nobuo Uematsu continues to remain that nagging inspiration in me:  "Don't score films; score games!"  Mmmph.

Lieutenant Darryl Mangrum of my home town's police department died this past Sunday after a long bout with cancer--a battle his doctor's estimated would end after six months.  In the true brave style befitting a police officer, he continued fighting for several years.  Officer Mangrum was extensively involved with the youth of Prattville, always around the schools and anywhere else kids and teens gathered, keeping things safe and just generally being a great guy.  He was also a friend of my mom's and my family's, and I think everyone's going to miss him dearly.  What a genuinely wonderful man.

Rest in peace, Officer Mangrum!

...for how good The Dark Knight was.  If you haven't seen it, do.  I'll probably watch that crap a million times over.

Afterward I felt the loss of Heath Ledger all over again.  It's truly heartbreaking.

Did I bust out some Weezer lyrics?  Why yes, I did.

I'm going to (attempt to) completely copy Steve Betz and place a poll all up in this blog.  Let's see:
.

I ask this because frankly, my answer is almost every night--for better or worse.  In general, I think it's pretty awesome to dream so frequently (and I generally remember them, often in detail).  Unfortunately, I've lately had what can only be described as boring and tedious dreams.  You read a lot, and apparently you start to dream about... reading.  At least, I think that's what the EXCESSIVELY LENGTHY dream I just woke up from was about (also, Steve Betz, I believe you were in it somehow).  From what I can remember/understand, I and other people were just... reading, and stories were sort of acting themselves out... which should've been exciting, but instead dragged on forever.  I could literally feel my brain saying, "Dammit, please wake up and save me from this tedium."  When I finally did, it rewarded me with an upgrade:  the headache I'd gone to bed with was erupting into a migraine!  Excellent.

Side note:  I'm going to invent a padded bottle with an easy-open top for migraine pills.  When my head's about to implode, the last thing I really want is to struggle with a bottle while it rattles away at a level ten times louder than it normally should be.

So, do you dream?  Do you like your dreams, are you bored by them, are they usually frightening?  I want answers, people.

Two more to throw atcha:

Still reading quite a bit, although my pace has understandably slowed after my week-long love affair with Twilight.  Here are some thoughts on the other things I've been reading:

A recently published collection of previously unpublished short works by the author, this was my first big foray into the world of Kurt Vonnegut, and I at least liked it enough to want to check more out.  Many of the stories--especially the first half, but really all of the book--draw on Vonnegut's experience as a prisoner of war in WWII and his horror at the destruction of Dresden.  I especially enjoyed the second half of the book; I think I remember especially digging "The Commandant's Desk."
I snatched this as soon as I saw it at the library--I had wanted to read it right after I finished Atonement, but it was checked out and I completely forgot about it.  It was much shorter than I expected (especially after Atonement), but still an interesting read about the rather awkward union between two young people in the 60s.  My big complaint with this was I guess pacing?  I'm not sure if that's a good word to describe it, but the bulk of the book moves slowly, full of lengthy flashbacks, before suddenly and I think without good reason hurtling forward at an alarming rate.  That was a little disorienting, but I still thought it was worth reading and would recommend it.
Ah, if only this were the edition I chose to buy... After seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie, I was so looking forward to it that I decided to order a copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tales of the Jazz Age, which contained the short story of the same name.  Might I warn you:  if, on Amazon, you see a copy of this book where the cover picture is a flugelhorn on top of a piano, DO NOT BUY IT.  Six pages into the story, I realized that there was no editor, no publisher I'd ever heard of, and it appeared that a 10-year-old had been commissioned to type the work but not proofread it--typos and strange errors galore.  I returned it to Amazon because it annoyed me too much to read it and found the story in an anthology at the library... and loved it!  The story actually took me through a strange series of emotions; it's comical and downright silly to begin with, but soon I found myself really attached to poor Benjamin and sad for his fate.  I most definitely recommend you read this.  I cannot wait for the movie, and I'll be interested to see how they handle it set in a different time period and with a change to the inevitable love story.
Another book I snatched up upon seeing it at the library, as the summary reminded me intensely of The Giver, one of my all-time favorite books by the same author.  I was almost as engrossed in this story as I was in The Giver (and was surprised to see a familiar face in the book...).  Frankly, I think a lot of adults could do with learning some of the messages contained in this book; I wish I'd brought it home so I could quote one passage in particular that struck me, but oh well.  Unfortunately, the book became unexpectedly rushed at the end and definitely left me with a feeling of, "Whoa, really?  ...It's over?"  Apparently this was probably the point, but what can I say, I like my structure.  I discovered that I probably should've read another book, Gathering Blue, before this one, so if you're interested I definitely suggest going "in order," though they're not exactly a trilogy:  The Giver, Gathering Blue, then Messenger.

I got surprisingly little accomplished in the world of reading, but I blame Stephenie Meyer.  ...In a good way.

...for this "holy crap I'm addicted" book post.

Let's talk about three things:  Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. 

People, I got the first book a week ago (they're easy reads, but short they are not--500 to 600 pages each) and within an hour of finishing it raced out to buy the next two.  I just finished the last a minute ago, and rather than do the wise thing and go to bed, I feel that geeky yet undeniable urge to bloggity blog blog.  If you're planning on reading the books and you don't want anything spoiled, you might wanna ignore this post.

Twilight had me pretty much from the first chapter.  It was glorious.  I'm still not sure exactly what it is about this book (and the others) that captivates me (and everyone else, apparently) so much--because I can see how I might have read books like these at another time and been utterly annoyed with them.  But, like every other person with a uterus (and some without), I instantly fell in love with lusted passionately for enjoyed the character of Edward.  The crash scene mostly did me in.  I never once felt uninterested while reading this book.  ...Not sure what else to say, honestly.  Fantastic.

Loved:  Edward, Edward and Bella, the mystery and intrigue!
Not So Much:  I would love to know how many times the words "eyes" was used--good gravy.  I recognize the necessity and the lack of another word, but man--it was like, three times a page.

As I said, I rushed out to buy this and Eclipse immediately after finishing Twilight.  I had a busy weekend though, and was a bit slow starting it, but was loving it during the chances I did have to read.

And then:  Edward left.  And Jacob entered the picture.  And I patiently waited for that whole situation to correct itself--100 pages, 200 pages, 300 pages without Edward?  (I'm not sure I'm overestimating that, either.)  Aside from my favorite character's absence, I impatiently waited for everybody to figure out the werewolf business; pardon my harsh criticism, but I thought it was poor writing to clue the reader in so early and then draw out the characters' confusions.  (Then again, maybe it just felt like it was so long as I was irritated with no vampire lovin'.)  Making the situation worse, I couldn't get on board with Jacob.  I didn't dislike him, I just had no interest in him, and thought Bella's intense interest was a bit forced maybe.  I dunno.  I did not enjoy the book from the moment Edward left to the moment he returned--just like Bella!  Hey-o.

Loved:  The intensity of the scenes in Italy--holy crap, those chapters were superbly done.  I couldn't read fast enough to satisfy my brain!!  Also, Alice, who became even more adorable in this book than before.
Not So Much:  Bella's codependency, lack of Edward, Jacob, seemingly unnecessary drama creation and drawing things out much longer than need be

Ah, Eclipse.  I went into this book fearful, not knowing what to think.  Twilight had sparked in me a love for a new series, something I've enjoyed only once in recent years (Harry Potter, natch), but then New Moon planted some serious seeds of doubt as I wondered if the next two books would follow in its path of... annoying me.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it didn't.  As with New Moon, though, I felt I was in a constant state of suspense (a good thing!)--this book was not so predictable, at least not for me.  I was very pleased with it as a whole, and almost feel like it's the best book in the series so far, though I'm not sure it tops Twilight in terms of how much of the warm fuzzies it gives me.  I do have some issues, not specifically with the book but with things it brought to light in terms of the series as a whole, but I'm getting quite tired here and I think my thoughts are incoherent enough without me going on a thoughtful rant.

Loved:  Alice more than ever, Edward more than ever
Not So Much:  Bella's low self-esteem--after three books, I get it.  Stop talking about how inferior you are to everything.  Cheer up, emo kid!  (I still like Bella, but I can only handle that kind of self-deprecation so long before it overpoweringly annoys me.)  Also, I can't help but feel that Bella's reluctance towards marriage is... strange for her, at least, for her relationship with Edward.
Loathing So Intense It Warrants Its Own Point in Bold:  Jacob.  A thousand times, Jacob.  Holy crap.  I'm pretty sure I've never been so aggravated with a protagonist in the history of any book ever.  What an obnoxious, immature brat!  I'm not sure what the Twilight fan base is like, but from what I understand there are some die-hard Jacob fans out there, and I just can't see it.  If you threaten to kill yourself/let yourself die so that the person you supposedly love will feel miserably guilty and risk things with the person that she wants and needs to be with in the vain hope that maybe she'll pay you attention, you fail at life.  Here's my harsh moment:  when they made it seem as if he'd been killed, I felt nothing.  Sorry if I'm offending the Jacob-ers, but seriously... the kid needs to grow the eff up.

Now all that's left is to wait until August 2nd...