Kachiko's Kiss

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I yet live...

2005-04-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

So there.

Working on Seminar Paper, making lots of connections and feeling really clever. Its slow going though.

I wonder how many versions of the Noir songs "Salva Nos" and "Canto per Me" I have? Lets see, one of each from the original, one of each from the second OST, and one more of each from the third OST. Then there're the version of each from Yuki Kaijuri. I could make a whole playlist from them. Speaking of which, maybe I'll watch Noir again.

Anyway Prom should be fun. Lets hope Antoine actually gets around to buying us bling. Otherwise I'll feel like a really poor Yakuza.

I'll have to shave some time.

Watching SAC when I'm not collapsing from exhaustion (I went to sleep at 9 last night, I have an excuse, I'm sick, nothing else could explain it). Its good, last disc isn't out yet though.

Did actually get some time to play Chrono Cross. Not a bad game. I don't hate it (Anime club members will get the reference, the rest of you won't, but, you know what, that's life).

New computer! Duel 2 GHz G5! Coming soon!

I guess I'll be 18 pretty soon too. Then I can join the army and rent porn movies! Yay!

Wearing a lot of black lately. No, I'm not in mourning. If I was in mourning I'd be wearing all white.

Wondering about college, how will I fit in?, will I collapse under a massive workload?, will I survive without all of you?, etc. Actually, thinking about the future quite a lot lately. Not that the present isn't good enough or anything, but, you know...

House cleaning is actually happening, although slowly. Yeah, we can hang out at my house for some time during Prom if you so desire. Yes, there will be some supervision.

Also kinda wondering about a good easy way to self-identify. I used to self-identify as Jewish, but I don't anymore. I used to self-indentify as the smart kid but I don't anymore. I'm kinda wondering what's left. Not quite, "who am I?" but more along the lines of "what's a nice simple term I can use to describe myself?"

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Even better than a Polish pope...

2005-04-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

... is one that was in the Hitler Youth.

I guess you could say that the Vatican was tired of however many years of Polish rule, so they decided to get someone bound to hate the Poles.

To be fair, it dosn't seem as if Benedict XVI was a really devoted Nazi, and he did desert and surrender.

On the other hand, even if Ratzinger didn't kill any Jews, what kind of message will this send to the world. I am not saying that being unluckey enough to be born in that era should ruin one's life, but still, is this the most politicially sound choice?

For the Exalted among you...

2005-04-17T12:29:00.000-05:00

... you might want to head over to eighthdespair.blogspot.com.

I talk about Exalted, and only Exalted there. After we get everyone together once, I'll also post session summaries if I get around to it.

Back from U-Chicago

2005-04-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Well, hmm..., how should I put this. Do you think it would be a bit much to use the term 'heaven on earth?'

Anyway, before you ask, no, during my overnight stay I did not get drunk, stoned, laid, high, stoned (you know, with rocks, kinda painful), indoctrinated into any cults (or at least none that conflict with my current Yog-Sothoth cult affiliation), or a decent amount of sleep (at about midnight we all decided to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail). I don't think I heard a single student say that they wished they had gone somewhere else. At that library, ahh... It was truely a U Chicago moment when my hosts made a special trip to show off their library.

U Chicago has three different Aikido clubs. Could be amusing to ask them all which is the true Aikido club.

U Chicago t-shirt has a slogan. "University of Chicago: Where the only thing that goes down on you is your GPA." Although from overhearing student gossip, apperently that isn't true, at least for the electric guitar playing, radical socialist, Roman Catholic who was one of my hosts.

Came home in time for seminar and KENDO!

Kendo was great fun today. Brian-sempai brought 2 partial sets of bogu. We got to suit up and hit each other. Now we can smash into each other with no risk of injury. Of course, the kotei isn't that thick. My wrist is pretty sore, especially with how hard Brian and Tomek hit (although I doubt that I've a much lighter touch). Great fun. Yup, I've got aspirations that can be numbered in multiple dan (go, maybe rok, but who knows, maybe hachi, kyu, or ju, ni-ju...).

School is not so bad. Should really be working on the English paper now. I'll probably work on it all Sunday.

Exalted adventure coming along, well, lets see how tomorrow's session goes.

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The last bullet hits and Albedo falls...

2005-03-24T15:25:00.000-06:00

I just beat Xenosaga II. The ending is pretty good, some things I'd like better resolved, but the focus of II is mostly on the U.R.T.V.s and U-Do, and they do that, leaving the mystery of the gnosis for another time. Yes, it does say To Be Continued... at the end, but I think there is enough material for a third game, and its better that they make a III rather than try to cram everything into II.

I'd give it a 9 (out of 10) at least, probably more.

It'll be good to see the anime when it comes out.

chaos is still chaos, but we get a few more hints. Aperrently, there's a lot more to the Y-Data than has been revealed. Also I get the feeling that all of Shion's specialness has not yet really been seen either. Ziggy, MOMO, and Jr. are almost completely resolved, but there's more to the others. Margulis is not done for yet either, the Inquisition and Ormus are still out there, maybe, and there is that one conversation Margulis had with the Patriarch, so... Of course, Margulis may have just been bailing to avoid Wilhelm's minions, but he seemed pretty sure of himself.

Really though, if, although I would really like to say when, Xenosaga III comes out, I will have it preordered. And it would take an act of purely incompetent game design for Namco to make a game that would prevent me from haveing Xenosaga IV-VI preoreded as well, assuming, deo volente, they do come out.

Now I need to play through Xenosaga II again and get all the secrets, fight all the hidden bosses, etc. Maybe I'll take a break and play Chrono Cross and then the two Growlansers first, though.

Maybe first, I should do my homework and write the Exalted adventure.

Anyway, the Important Stuff

2005-03-23T15:40:00.000-06:00

I spend all that time talking and I forget to mention the important stuff. I got into Hampshire, but was waitlisted at Haverford.

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And Thus Fell Deima...

2005-02-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

... to an arrow of the Elven general Ahdre (and, to be fair, a roll of a natural 20, although the game was really mine any way you look at it). Which means that someone now has the cards to make a Dallen Stormlost deck (The mad, blind Seer who has a habit of bathing in pools of blood and tearing his foes into little itty bitty pieces (we're talking +40/+38 strikes for three wounds here (+6 base, +1 ancient sword, +11 ancient sword bonus, +3 war horse, +1 blasphemous sign, +4 quick strength, +6 2x Atonir Genecourt, +5 the cardinal's blessing, +3 treasons wages, with, quite possibly +2 2x Squire Fastus, +3 another treasons wages, +5 another quick strength from a lv 5 Squire Andreas, +5 from the cardinal's blessing on him, +3 a blasphemous sign on an adjacent Atonir Genecourt, another +3 from the third of him, +3 another adjacent blasphemous sign for a grand possible total of +64/+62/+59 for four wounds [three each, extra on the first one] I love playing fighter/cleric decks!)))! Of course, then again, I lost to Jelial because of a stupid mistake.

To those to whom the preceeding paragraph is complete gibberish. On Saturday I beat one of the harder Overlords, after loosing to an easier one, and won the cards needed to make a really good deck.

Anyway, life goes on.

Got about 11 pages on my Seminar paper, haven't even really started my argument yet. Haywood was a good writer. His autobiography was clear, interesting, and useful.

Xenosaga II is great, can be a bit tough (Damn the fanatics of the Immigrant Fleet!).

Haven't seen much anime lately, too much other stuff to do.

The Innocence soundtrack is great. Thank you, EasyWMA.

Got good ideas for the Exalted campaign (some tangential, some central), not that I really expect to ever be able to use them, but they're good ideas nonetheless. Suriel is the type of character that is cool, but I would only let someone run something like her over my dead body (specifically, my staked and decapitated dead body, just the thought of someone playing something like that would raise me from the dead). That's GM [ST] privilege for you. Yeah, you people [person] who reads this blog and is in the campaign, keep an eye on Suriel, not that you'll need the hint.

Speaking of RPGs, when you shoot something repeatedly (like 20 times) with pretty nasty guns (high velocity handguns, combat shotguns, etc.) it dosn't die, and instead of blood you get green light it isn't good, right? Especially when it just rebounded your Lightning spell draining about half your remianing essence. Yeah, that, and there's this little prophecy about streets running with blood. Oh well, overall, my Mongolian shaman is doing better than my Japanese ex-cop.

As the above shows, I am enjoying the Cthulhu-esque game being run by Derek no Oni. Not that he is a vastly better GM than Antoine, but he stays away from strict GM control (I said my next character's gonna be a Mongolian shaman, he said, don't make me try and pronounce his name, here's the rules for magic), which can lead to some wierd parties, but hey, its fun. Also, there is a real danger to the PCs, trust me, I know. I feel a nice balance between extremes with my characters. I like them, but if they die I'll make another. We often joke about what our next PC will be when we encounter a situation in which no one has the required skill. Also, I confess that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I descened into the dark basement of the abandoned farmhouse, and it wasn't from the essence I had gathered to blast anything that moved (actually, I hadn't gathered essence, it can be annoying to dismiss if you gather a bunch and then don't use it).

The big difference is that Derek dosn't try to weave a grand story but focuses on the action. Also, almost all the skill we put into our PCs have come in handy. You get a thrill when a character works just as you had planned. Trance for a bonus, then commune with the land to find the secret passages beneath the old well.

Also, what probably makes the most difference, is that we meet regularly. I know that the story will be continued next Sunday from 2-6 at Derek's apartment. Just like I know that I will be able to do more field testing on my Dallen deck next Wensday night at 5:45 to 10. Regularity counts for a lot, and our group just can't provide it.

Its late, and I just started the third volume of Dream of Red Mansions (I love Xi-Feng). Dream has what I would consider, from my very limited experience, the most realistic romance story out of almost any I have read, heard, or seen (Cao Xueqin through the character of Grandmother Jia mocks traditional Chinese romances). Cao Xueqin has the space to develop his characters slowly, and he makes use of it. We shall see if Gao E can write a good ending.

Oh, and Long Hair. Read the article on him in this week's New York Times Magazine. I'll bring it into seminar. Quite frankly, I truely admire him for his courage and dedication. He has not let the great distance to his goals slow him down. I think we could use some politicians like him in the US, specifically in the Democratic Party. Truely, though, I'm not growing my hair long in his honor, its just a coincidence.

And now, the Jubei Yagyu Scene

[A noble and his entourage ride down the road.]

[A one eyed ronin wearing a jingasa steps onto the road and blocks their path.]

Noble: No, it cannot be! I thought you were at the Capcom corporate HQ signing a contract for a new Onimusha game! How can you be here?!?

Jubei Yagyu: You fool! I am Jubei Yagyu, I can be everywhere!

[Jubei kills everyone. Yes, that includes the cameraman, the lighting guy, the grip, Vladamir Putin, Ghengis Kahn, Lu Bu, Cthulhu, and you. I mean, come on, he's Jubei Yagyu.]

Valete omnes. Ut-pote semisomnus sum necesse est ut dormio bene si volo vigilare in crastinus de. Ita, valete, valete, valete, meminete me.

Another "Not that anyone reads this anymore..." post

2005-02-05T22:00:00.000-06:00

But, admit it, you don't. I could post all the secrets forthcoming in my Exalted campaign (assuming I got around to writing more than an hour ahead..., OK, maybe I'm usually three hours ahead, but still...) and none of the players would catch on. Assuimg I had any, I could put US nuclear secrets here, and no one would find them.

Or, if you do read this, don't bother, its not like I'm going to do anything other than wander along random tangents until I go off and watch anime, or play PS2.

Maybe its just because I don't really play Scorpion anymore, never got around to making a post-Web deck and I'm too lazy to change the decor to "Hand of the High Queen," or "Ruins of the Diamond Court," or something like that. I've been kinda busy lately too. I mean Suikoden IV, Growlanser, PoP2, and Xenosaga II on the 15th. Reading lots of webcomics hasn't helped either. I just spent like 5 hours reading the archives of a new one. Its good, I like it, BUT reading webcomics dosn't really accomplish anything. Well thats unfair, it accomplishes just as much as playing PS2 and watching Anime.

And my seminar paper isn't going to write itself. I really need to go out looking for other sources, but as long as I still have three books to go through I can't really muster the energy. I have this kind of feeling that this quarter will go on forever, stretching off into infinity, so why bother rushing. Its not as if things aren't changing, but I have this feeling of apathy.

Guan Yu keeps turning around. I always set him facing the door, but when I look at him a day or so later, he's facing my modem, and away from me. Maybe the modem creats a magnetic field, or maybe its from constant airflow, but...

Anyway, yeah, this is about as often as I'm probably going to be posting here. My idea about satirizing Dream of Red Mansions kinda collapsed before it began...

Dosn't look like my course was accepted for Agora days... Maybe it was or will be. I kinda need to know soon so I can read Art of War again and pick out the good bits.

Kendo is good, but no way can I make it to Sunday practices until the get their space in Freer back and the practices get back to 11-2. 9 is jsut too early for me to sneak into a university building on a Sunday. I can acutally practice at home now with Andy's katana (it dosn't really deserve to be called that though, but no matter). Maybe me and Brian can paractice (or do "Iado") sometime on weekends. That'd be good.

School is, well, school. It grinds on, I survive. I won't bother filling this space with complaints about teachers or classes, just make me feel bad anyway. Anthro is pretty good, though, and World is still great. Haywood's a pretty good writer, but I read him too slowly, maybe I should just skip to the part on the IWW, but then, what would my thesis be.

Warlord and Exalted are fun. Writing for Exalted, in my case, thinking furiously the day before we play and then praying the characters don't get killed by Sil, or his like. But it adds a real sense of purpose. Grace of the Infinite Revolving Spheres is the best charm in Exalted. The second sentence this paragrah isn't actually a sentence, did you notice?

The only problem with Exalted is that, right now, what I really want to do is play a Fair Folk noble. Fighting shaping duels, experiencing Raksha Court politics, an doing all that stuff. No else I play with knows anywhere near enough to ST though, and I can't go deep enough into the Raksha in my current campaign, although I can throw in some good NPCs, the Duke of Mirrors, the Lady (she'll get a nifty title someday) and, of course, Sil of the Shining Armor, although he's dead now... Maybe I'll write some fan fiction or something... Still be real fun to play a Sidreal too. The problem with Exalted is that I love the setting so much more than the people around me do. Oh, well, maybe Antoine's 'realistic' Vampire game will turn out OK, although that's not really why I play RPGs. I don't want to be myself in other situations, I want to be someone completely different, possesed of skills I will never learn, in a world I can only begin to imagine. That is why Exalted is perfect, its world is so alien, yet so well put together, and it moves so much away from the World of Darkness, with which, quite frankly, I am starting to get a bit tired. The World of Darkness is a world that stifles dreams, while the Second Age is a world that lets them grow as they will. You know, I'd probably never write that if I knew that Antoine would read it. I am so careful to avoid anything that could give offense, and I usually fail anyway. Oh, well, as my dad would say: Life's a bitch, and then you die.

Tan Dun is one of the best composers I've heard in a while. His music is majestic, evocative (in some causes haunting), and so incredibly Chinese.

I'm kinda looking for a summer job, not much luck...

There is some good news. I have a car again. No word on when I'll be alowed to drive it, but me and Walt can finally get to a decent bookstore and a place where one can buy good seltzer. Still be walking home a lot though, but I'll live. Exercise is probably good for me too.

Well, that's whats in my head right now, filtered and somewhat explained. Well, actually that's just the surface. When people ask me if I'm well I respond yes with almost complete honesty, but then, Bush is still president. Take that as you will, I guess. Vale (although if I believed that multiple people might actually read this I'd be better off writing Valete Omnes). Anyway, Adiu, adiu, adiu, remember me.

My other blog! And stuff!

2005-01-09T20:35:00.000-06:00

I will post my thoughts on Cao Xueqin's great novel on my other blog at redmansions.blogspot.com.

It might take a while before something shows up, though, kinda busy right now (Growlanser III (and I need to play II again), Prince of Persia II (Monday), Suikoden IV (Tuesday), Xenosaga II (Feb. 15th), you get the picture.)

Derek no Oni, the local AEG bounty hunter, is starting an RPG on Saturday nights, sounds really neat, unconventional. I hope I can get him to delay a week, I mean, the senior trip deposit is unrefundable. I'll buy him a pack of Warlord cards, that usually works. This will be a break as I have noticed that I seem to be the only one in our group with the will to GM, and I'm not all that great a GM at that so...

I'm getting kinda tired of hearing about the tsunami. I mean, yes, it was horrible. Yes, I feel for the suffering of the people harmed. Yes, I sympathise with their pain and loss, but I have donated some money, which is really I can realistically be expected to do.

Origa is God!

And with that cryptic statement, I will leave you for now.

Stuff

2005-01-06T20:35:00.000-06:00

Back at school! Yay! Much rejoicing!

By the way, automobile acidents aren't fun, trust me.

Also I think the satire of Dream of Red Mansions will take the form of a blog, mayhaps something like the Yu-cun Memoirs, or something like that.

An Extra Day Off

2005-01-03T17:47:00.000-06:00

So, I can't really complain, but I must say that I was all mentally prepared to go to school today and getting another day off is thus kind of anticlimactic (as opposed to anticlimatic, about which, if you want to learn more, you should ask my dad.

My Seminar paper is done, sort of...

My English paper is about 3/8ths done, should be working on that now... Approaching the satire of class conflict (boy is that a Marxist term or what) from a Marxist point of view.

College apps are just short an essay or two, be done real soon...

Haven't held a shinai all break, be real out of practice come Friday (assuming we have Kendo on Friday). (I tried to get my parents to raise the ceiling on the dining room, or at least floor another room in wood, but they simply refused, I can't fathom why.)

Ghost in the Shell 2 is out now, I should get my hands on it conviently just after I finish watching Eva again (I'm watching it a bit slower than I normally would, I have to play Growlanser too.)

Thinking of anime, the last disk of Kaze no Yojimbo should be out tomorrow, hope That's gets it soon.

No one's called my on my cell phone yet, but it has already come in handy (mostly just because the normal phone in my room is, well, kind of dying).

If I have some free time, I might come up with a modern or near future corporate parody of Dream of Red Mansions ("Welcome to Jia Corp, Rongguo branch, Miss Daiyu. Meet Mr. Baoyu, the head of our Jade division and Mrs. Xifeng, the head of human reasources.) What form of artistic expression this would take, if it ever materializes (the cynical part of Abe: which it won't), is anybody's guess.

You know, I'm not sure why I set my computer clock to military time, I mean, it does have an AM/PM display and it always takes me a second or so to subtract 12 to find the time. But, now I'm kindof used to it...

Oh yes, if your looking for a good, not blowed stuff up real good Yakuza movie, and you don't mind some pretty brutal violence, try Brother, directed and stared in by Takeshi Kitano, who is apperently a pretty big name in Japan. Oh, and don't gamble with a Yakuza, trust me.

I guess that's all the random thoughts I'm having right now. I guess I should get back to fighting my way through the Rolandia Mines searching for the Time-Spac- *ahem* my English paper, yes.

Real News

2005-01-01T13:03:00.000-06:00

I now have a cell phone. I'm with cingular and my number is (217)-778-9680. If you want to call me, especially if you are also cingular, use my cell phone rather than the land line. Also, again especially if you are also cingular, feel free to call me more often.

Guess what my wallpaper is.

A FEW Random Things

2004-12-31T12:00:00.000-06:00

I promise, just a few.

Many classmates seem to think that the relationship between me and Tiffany is moving too slowly. Well this is my apology. I'm sorry we couldn't live up to the image you have of us. Now, please, could you allow the private to remain private? I know you think you have good intentions, and maybe you do, but that's beside the point. You won't make us closer by embarassing us. I guess this is a kind of pointless place to say this, since, as far as I know, the only person who reads this blog is Eric.

Aras Justinas Zachariah Covenant, a name that will live in infamy. Assuming he survives our first session. Yeah, and Takashi Abe too, but different GM, different game, different system. This seems to be the season of RPGs, both paper and electronic. Xenosaga II is out soon, and I just finished Growlanser III. Still working on Suikoden IV, it will probably have to wait.

Working on Exalted, I hope the rest of you enjoy the adventure I have for you. It's not great, but it should be solid. Still haven't decided how to resolve the campaign, though, and its not going to be easy. Maybe another seperate adventure, or two, each, doing sidequesty stuff (I'd love to ponder more, but I shouldn't do it here). Then I'll bring you all together for the dramatic conclusion. Should be 4 possible endings, all pretty developed. Need to brush up on Abyssal combat charms, digging through books can really slow things down.

Key: the Metal Idol. Solid anime, good characters, good plot, pretty good ending (Spoiler: why did Sakura have to die? WHY? Although, I guess, with the ending...).

And, as required by the rules of Japanese Samuari movies (I bet you didn't know that this post was a Samurai movie, but it is!), may I present the world famous one-eyed ronin: Jubei Yagyu!

[Jubei walks up a flight of stone steps towards a temple. Camera cuts to ashigaru gunners hiding in bushes aiming at Jubei, dramatic music.]

Random Bad Guy: If you kill me, the guardian spirit of the Tokugawas will also die!

Jubei: Obviously you didn't see "Shogun's Samurai." At the end I kill the third Tokugawa Shogun. Do you think I really care about the Tokugawas' guardian spirit?

Random Bad Guy: Well, crap.

[violent fight scene with female ninjas]

Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy

2004-12-28T22:43:00.000-06:00

Another Abe obscure movie review.

Not great, but not bad, not bad at all. Assuing of course, that one can stand the deliberate pace of Japanese historical dramas.

Toshiro Mifune shows up as a dirty ronin, and though its a bit part, he does it well.

Jubei Yagyu shows us that tsuba eyepatches are still in style.

The moral of the story is, if you're a ninja, work for the loosing side. Don't question this, just trust me (for all the ninjas who read my blog).

Also, watch out for those Japanese nobles. I mean, they may look ridiculous in their court robes, they're really incredibly poor, and they have no political power, but occaisionally one of them will turn out to be an incredible swordsman (although not good enough to beat the one-eyed ronin, but then again, who is?).

And another great use for jingasas (as well as herding bats out of one's house, had to do that again today): Holding the head of the third Tokugawa Shogun after you cut it off as an act of revenge against your schemeing father who just destoryed everything you loved in order to secure his political position so you can throw down the jingasa and have the head roll out dramatically onto the floor (I wonder how many times they had to practice that). (That does kind of give away the ending, but no one who reads this blog is very likely to see this movie, so...)

Just a random post to my blog...

2004-12-28T19:17:00.000-06:00

... about stuff.

Random theory.

Self-hatred. Thats what Eva is all about. Everyone is so busy reveling in their own self hatred to be able to connect with others, though they would all benefit from a real connection.

The question is, does Rei fit this? Maybe Rei #2 does, but what about Rei #3? Oh, I now have a Rei screensaver too.

Not that anyone reads this anymore...

2004-12-26T22:24:00.000-06:00

... not even me.

But, anyway, I back from skiing in the land that God gave Cain.

I think downhill skiing is something everyone should do at least once in their life.

Watching Eva again, trying to find meaning in every sigh and catch all the foreshadowing. Have Rei on my desktop.

Got 11 pages on my seminar paper so far.

College apps due soon. Have most of my essays done, so its not so bad.

And that thrice-damned English paper, have to think about that.

I'll survive, somehow.

Only in Japan

2004-12-12T14:35:00.000-06:00

True story.

Some time not too long ago there was a gang of Yakuza in Japan. They had a lush HQ in some decently respectable neighborhood. The nieghbors wrote some letters to them complaining that they were bad for the area. As a result the Yakuza fled the area in shame and a number of them went strait as a result. Now I ask you, could that happen anywhere else?

Tokyo Raiders and Aramasu's Pride

2004-11-08T18:05:00.000-06:00

Upon finishing the movie "Tokyo Raiders" I would have to say that (warning, extened reference to L5R approaching) the person playing the Modern Japan faction out of the Tokyo stronghold has just had all of his provinces raided by the person playing the Chinese Kung-fu Masters faction out of the stronghold Hong Kong. It was even worse for the person playing the America faction out of the Sinister Compound at Langley stronghold who had not one, but two, of his allying units destroyed in duels by the Hong Kong player's personalities.

For none L5R players (as of yet, everyone who reads this blog), I need only say that any Kung-fu movie that opens with a well done umbrella fight scene is good in my eyes. This one backs that up with ridiculous plot twists, humorous characters, and well done action.

Just for my own enjoyment, as none of you will understand, the stats for the abovemnetioned strongholds:

Tokyo
7 Province Strength, 5 Gold Production, 4 Starting Honor
Modern Japan Faction. All High Tech items in your deck have their gold cost reduced by half, rounding down, and gain an additional +1 Chi bonus while attached to Japanese personalities.

Hong Kong
8 Province Strength, 4 Gold Production, 2 Starting Honor
Chinese Kung-fu Masters Faction. Limited: Declare a raid attack phase. During this attack all Kung-fu Masters allied with your faction gain the ability "Raid Battle: Once per battle issue an unrefusable challange to an opposing personality. The looser bows and may not unbow until unbowed by a card effect at least one full turn from now."

Sinister Compound at Langley
10 Province Strength, 2 Gold Production, -19 Starting Honor
America Faction. You may not gain or loose honor. Your spys may not be targeted by political actions. All political actions you take gain the sinister, evil, and spy traits. You may never play any card that requires the use of World Opinion to play. Non-spy personalities will not join you. Limited: Once per turn, bow a spy, pay 5 gold, and target a stronghold. Abilities on that stronghold may not be used until end of turn as that player has had his government overthrown. You may bow an additional spy and pay an additional 5 gold to reduce one of the numberals on that stronghold by 1.

The Wonderful Parental Skills of Jia Zheng and Lady Wang

2004-10-31T22:34:00.000-06:00

Jia Baoyu does have parents, they're just not major characters. In fact, we barely see Lady Wang (not to be confused with Wang Xifeng, who is Lady Wang's niece) at all, but this is because Baoyu does not live in the same section of Rongguo as his parents do. Also, it seems that very few of the traditional Chinese customs involve one's mother. On the other hand, Baoyu has to pay his respects to his father before leaving for school, etc. This gives Jia Zheng (Baoyu's father) many oppertunities to insult Baoyu's literary talent. In the most recent scene a Zheng (and his horde of 'literery gentlemen') and Baoyu were touring a new garden trying to decide on poetic inscriptions of the various vistas, bridges, pagodas, etc. At each location, Zheng would as the literary gentlemen for a suggestion, and then turn to Baoyu. Zheng would then make a great show of insulting Baoyu's suggestion, getting dramatic enough to the point where Baoyu occasionally feared for his life (as oldest man in the household, Zheng has absolute power because the government does not prosecute crimes and he would have to be the one to bring a case to court). Of course, however, Zheng was not disapointed with Baoyu, but greatly impressed by the sagacity and talent behind his suggestions. In fact, Baoyu only learns the truth after some servents later come to him with that information, extracting a bribe in return.

But more mysteries await in the chapters ahead. Will Baoyu and his father ever reconcile their differences? Will anyone from the Qiu clan not die of illness? Will Jia Yu-cun ever regain the spotlight? Will Wang Xifeng ever do something nice? Will Lady Wang ever do anything at all? Only time, and the writings of Cao Xueqin, will tell.

Wang Xifeng Is a Cold-Hearted Bitch, But We Love Her Anyway

2004-10-27T23:40:00.000-05:00

Just what the title says.

More from Story of the Stone (or A Dream of Red Mansions (or The Passionate Monk's Tale (or A Mirror for the Romantic (or The Twelve Young Ladies of Jinling))), the author had trouble decideing on a title).

Wang Xifeng, the wife of Jia Lian, is introduced as gentle, if sometimes outspoken character. She is the one in charge of actually running Rongguo. We see scenes where she lingers for hours by the side of her sick friend, and does everything she can to ensure her recovery. Then she goes and kills a guy. OK its not direct, and Jia Rui really, really had it coming, but did he really deserve to die. I mean sure he was a sleazy, lustful guy, but the way in which Xifeng systematically first humiliated him, and then ensured his ruin by putting him deep into debt, and then, lying to her superiors in Rongguo, refused to send medicine which would have saved his life, even though it was readily at hand, all the while convinceing him that she loved him, is just a bit much. Her refusal to send the medicine led to his turing to more drastic types of cures (read mystical, mysterious, magical taoists) which led to a pretty nasty death. I agree that Rui deserved the humiliation and economic ruin, but killing him is going just a bit too far.

On the other hand, we still all love Xifeng, so we're willing to overlook her nastiness.

Jai Baoyu's First Experiment in the Art of Love (or The Life of a Maid in the House of Rongguo)

2004-10-25T13:17:00.000-05:00

First several notes. This post, and others like it are observations on the novel Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin. In the translation, multi sylable words are hyphenated (e.g. Jia Bao-yu, House Rong-guo, etc.). The book was translated by a Brit, who does a good job of rendering the Chinese names that are not acutally names (as in, have indented meanings) into latinate words.

I'm typing on a crappy keyboard, so please forgive my typos.

I may ramble a little, but I should have a point in there somewhere.

Technically this is not a response to Jia Baoyu's first encounter with the art of love, but the first one was under special circumstances (when a goddess, at the request of your honored ancestors, locks you in a room with a woman and tells you to have sex, you do what she says, no questions asked).

Fresh from that otherworldly experience, Jia Baoyu returns to the world of mortals intent on experimenting with the 'art' he has been taught. The first, and so far only, result of this is with his attendant Aroma (who was about his age)(servents in noble households are not refered to by their actual names, in fact I do not know if they actually have names...). This novel, moreover, is not San Guo Yan Yi (because Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not truely a good translation), or Outlaws, so we are actually told the thoughts and emotions of some of the female characters (in fact, I would have to say that there are more female characters than male ones, Cao Xueqin was not a strict Confucist). Now in western society we seem to apply negative conotations to a man sleeping with a household servent, but not so in the novel. In fact, the novel seems to present it in such a way as one might almost say that it was expected. Clearly Baoyu is not admonished in any way, and it would be impossible to keep something like that a secret in Rongguo which, although indeed a huge mansion, could quite be said to be swarming with servents, who would report anything bad to Xifeng or Grandmother Jia. Also the thoughts running through Aroma's head as her master seduces her confirm this. She, instead of asking herself if she should sleep with Baoyu, asks herself why she shouldn't, and can find no good reason to object.

One might take this to imply that there are very few limits on the morality of young men in whatever dynasty the novel takes place in (more on this later). But this is not true, Xue Pan (think that's his name), is described by the author in a very negative fashion, and his one crime seems to be frequenting brothels. So, there are moral limits on the type of sexual encounter a young man can enjoy (there is a very prevelent sexual double standerd, but I haven't really read enough to comment on that specifically).

There is also another signifigent difference from the common western view. In such circumstances in the west we seem to force such a couple to either be together just as a result of lust, on the part of the man, of course, or as lovers tragically seperated by rank and station. The Chinese take a view in between these two extremes. Aroma and Baoyu feel affection for each other, not the affection Baoyu would, and should, feel for a 'true' lover (At this point in the book we already know who is destined to be Baoyu's 'true' love, and it is a girl named Lin Daiyu, not a girl named Aroma). Even more, sleeping with Aroma does not in any way conflict with being destined to love Daiyu.

Another intersting question is that of Baoyu's age. We don't actually know how old he is, which might also add another point to examine.

Just some random thoughts, hope they make some sense.

Flavors and Tastes of the Clans

2004-10-14T19:46:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are always wondering what I'm talking about when I speak the language of L5R, a sequal to my appraise winning Flavors and Tastes of the Exalted, I give you Flavors and Tastes of the Clans, a L5R special.

Crab: Taste like crab, with a hint of jade. Like big things, big hammers, big axes, big clubs, and occasionally big swords. When it comes to food, the Crab prefer simple things, like sake, and more sake, and maybe some rice on the side. The Crab aren't very romantic, except for that one hero (don't remember his name), but he sleeps with a peasent! (gasp!)

Crane: Wonderful taste, so beautiful its impossible to describe. Favor light graceful beautiful weapons, that can cut their foolish foes cleanly in half. Enjoy the best food, food good enough to be served to the emperor. Truely the most romantic clan (Noritoshi and Megumi, sigh, Kurohito and Akikio, sigh, Yasuyo and Kenaka, WHAT THE HELL WERE THE STORY DESIGNERS THINKING!?!? (sorry)). And then of course there's Korihime. I need say no more.

Dragon: Taste like shrimp. Prefer monk weapons. Live on nothing more than tea, and the occasional, very occasional mind you, grain of rice. Their greatest champion Hitomi could be a wonderful romantic character, if she looked the least bit feminine. Unless you find immortal monks who have taken vows of silence or half-man half-dragons sexy, stay away from the Dragon.

Lion: Taste bland, but honorable. Would never fight with anything other than their daisho. Generic Japanese tastes in food, although heavier on meat than fish. Nothing really attractive in the Lion, which is very explainable. The Lion's Pride, a warrior society, was obviously created to focus all the attractive women in the Lion into as tight a radius as possible. And then it all depends on what you think of Oni no Okura.

Mantis: Crunchy, and quite salty. Fight with kamas, kamas, and the occasional kama. Another clan that's big on sake, although they drink it in more of the ambitious pirate style, then the brooding warrior style of the Crab. Of course they also have wierd tastes imported from the distant lands they trade with. Handling ships all day in the hot sun has led to minimalist trends in Mantis fashion. That and they have a family made up completely of attractive female shegunja (hey, Osono-Wo agrees with me here!). Also, the Mantis feel that personal honor is of less importance than other things. The rest should be obvious.

Phoenix: Taste like spicy chicken (and blood). Often use swords, but truely prefer flaming swords of annihilation (and blood). Like hot, spicy food (and blood). Not really much going for them in the catigory that inevitably follows the last one (although they do have bloodspeakers).

Scorpion: Make sure to take an anti-venom before eating one, trust me. NINJA weapons. I don't really know what they eat (other than the honor of others). They, are, in terms of scantily clad women, far and away, the greatest clan.In fact, AEG should make use of this. Some Scorpions could have the 'scantily clad' trait. Cards could key off of this. Maybe something like Bayushi Technique: Bow this Scantily Clad personality to bow and dishonor a number of other personalities up to her chi. Yes, up to her chi. The Scorpion are like that. The Scorpion Clan's Clan holding is, indeed, the Geisha House. By the way, Kachiko is a Scorpion, if you hadn't guessed already. While the Imperial line always marry a woman of the Crane Clan (except for Toturi III, but thats OK, he's new to this whole emperor thing, soon he'll come around and divorce that Lion and marry a Crane, or at least have an affair with one, if he hasn't already, or maybe the Empress will die in the coming coup that the Gozoku will pull (I love having deep story insight)), they seem to have a thing for Scorpions. I mean the last Hantei, Fu Leng, Toturi, and Toturi III. 4 Emperors can't be wrong, although I admit that the last Hantei wasn't really give a chance. No one can withstand the power of Kachiko when she tries to manipulate them, not even her husband (now, we must all honor the name of Shoju, for he is the Father of Scorpions). Sorry, I kind of rambled there and got away from the point. Which is to give a brief, quick impression of the factions that compries the world of L5R.

Unicorn: Taste like horsemeat. Use weapons that can be used from horseback. Eat foul gaijin, barbarion foods. Now, you see, the Unicorn like horses. They really like horses. I'm sure you catch my meaning.

Ratlings: Taske like rats ('cause maybe they are rats). Prefer a variety of weapons scavanged from the Empire. Like, ummm, thinks a rat would like. I can't really say much for this last section. You see, I'm not a Ratling so I don't really know what they find appealing. I'm not really sure I want to think about that too much. Yes, this is far enough.

Shadowlands: This group will be divided into subgroups.

Bloodspeakers: Taste like blood. Use weapons that have blood in the title. Like blood. Most of them probably only enjoy sex that has blood in it (don't ask me how). Then, on the other hand, there's Shahai. Now this is not just personal opinion, 2 out of 2 Dark Lords, 1 out of 1 corrupted Dragon Samurai, and 1 out of 1 Dark Kami agree that Shahai is just the sexiest woman alive. She probably likes blood too, though.

The Lost: Taste rotten. Use the twisted relics of the weapons they used to use as honorable samurai. Sustained entirely by their corrupted chi. They used to be a bit lacking in the last catigory. I mean, who wants to have sex with Katsu? Now, however, the forces of darkness have begun to learn. With the recent corruption of Megumi and Rekai (both Cranes, by the way), the Lost have much improved in this area. Truely it is now possible to imagine *ahem* romantic scenes in the Shadowlands without immidently feeling nausea (not that I have done so, mind you, my mind is as pure as driven snow.)

The Shadowlands Horde: Taste EVIL! Don't need weapons. Eat YOU! With the less otherworldly Shadowlands creatures I encounter the same problem as with the Ratlings. What does a goblin or a troll find attractive? I just don't know (and really would prefer not to, thank you very much). The Oni are a different story entirely. Since the Oni do not procreate naturally, there is no need for them to be able to attract others of their species. Thus, unless you go for things like that, in which case you should know that there is a forum called alt.sex.cthulhu (although I could not give specifics on the contents), the Oni can be safely said to be uninvolved in this category.

The Undead: Taste kind of dead. Like the weapons they wielded in life. Don't really eat much. Now, before you jump to conclusions about this section (and also the note in the Abyssal section, last post), you should know that not all undead are decaying corpses. Some apprear just as attractive, or perhaps, even more beautiful then they did in life. Consider undead Kamoko for example.

Minor Factions:

The Wasp: Dangerous to eat. Like bows, bows, bows, and more bows (a Tsuruchi without a ranged attack is not a Tsuruchi!). Drink sake, but in the confident, strong, skilled, hero kind of way, as opposed to the other two previously mentioned. The only problem with the Wasp is that they seem to be lacking in female characters. In fact I cannot think of a single female Wasp. More of them keep appearing though, so some might exist. Although, considering the animal they are named after, maybe there's only one.

The Fox: Taste rare, with a touch of unimportant, and a dash of NOT EXISTANT IN THE DIAMOND STORYLINE ENVIORNMENT! They seem to have a thing for Yaris and Nagamakis. One might look at Ryosi and think, here's some true potential for a romantic subplot. But, no! Ryosi stays chaste, eventually joins a monestary, and dies, leaveing no descendents. A true waste of genetic material if you ask me. I mean, if Ryosi and YORITOMO (YORITOMO's name should always be written in caps. This is just one of the unexplained truths of L5R.) got together, Kumiko could be a shegunja (as well as being a damn good pirat- samurai, yes, samurai).

The Hare: Taste like rabbit. Don't really have a favored weapon. In fact, let me think, does this Clan even exist anymore...

The Boar: Dead. Dead and gone.

The Centipede: Ah, the Moshi shegunja. I always wondered how the Centipede continued to grow without any males. Wait! There is ONE now, he must be some kind of outcast. Of course, their continued existance can be explained by the close association of the Centipede to the worship of Osono-Wo, Fortune of Thunder.

The Seppun: Imperial guard family. Boring.

The Otomo: Imperial courtier family. Boring.

The Miya: Imperial herald family. Boring.

The Monkey: The NEW AND IMPROVED Imperial Guard family. Although they might find it kind of hard to guard the emperor considering that there are four, no wait, three of them. Period. Unless you count the graves of their heros, in which case there are four.

The Falcon: They exist, really. There was once a card for one of them. I think. I have'nt actually seen it though, so I don't know for sure.

The Ox: Same as above, but without the personality.

The Kolat: The Kolat dosn't exist. What are you talking about? (*whisper* Quickly report to Master Tiger, Master Chrysanthemum, Master Coin, and Grand Super Extreme Ultimate Master Kage, Experienced 27, someone is on to us.)

The Gozoku: Whatever the Gozoku are, they aren't a massive conspiracy involving members of all the clans which plan to dethrone the emperor and put his brother in place as a puppet.

The Ninja: There are no such thing as Ninja. Although, you do have to admit that the Ninja Mystic is quite attractive.

The Yobanjin: Hmm... Don't really know much about the Yobanjin. In a few months though! Just you wait!

The People of Rokugan: I guess I should give the commoners and peasents of Rokugan an entry, but I don't really want to. They don't matter anyway.

This may have dragged on, as many of my posts do, loosing all humorous value after the second obscure reference, but that's OK, because, I did tell you NOT TO READ MY BLOG ON PAIN OF DEATH, now didn't I? I can't really be held accountable for any flaws in my posts then, now can I? If you appriciate the obsuce humor, however, I will continue with such posts and enlighten you the the fantasy worlds in which I live at least half, but probably much more, of my life.

If not, I'll write fiction. About Exalted maybe, probably Sidreals.

The Flavors and Tastes of Exalted

2004-10-11T19:53:00.000-05:00

As Lovecraft said, we must express the darkness within us to prevent it from consuming us. With me its more insanity and obscure references than darkness, so here goes:

Now that I have told people, in no uncertin terms, that to read my blog merits a fate far, far worse than death, I will post mad ramblings that cause the vaulted ceiling of my room to echo hauntingly with dark laughter. I will post insane parodies of things beyond the comprehension of most mere mortals, or those who have not tasted the dark fruits of true knowledge. Interpid souls who yet press on, clutch your holy symbols close and eye the shadows warily, for something quite real lurks there.

We start with the flavors and tastes of the varieties of Exalted.

Solars: Bright and golden, taste like butterscotch. Like rich, but not fancy, food. Proud, prefer action movie style romances with them as the main character and their lover as a supporting one. Except for the old ones, which taste more like caramel and make the Romans look like prudes. There are 13, or so, who have very divergent tastes, but I would like to see you try and eat one of them. I suspect, however, that they don't really taste like anything, kind of bland maybe, or just tasteless perhaps (like that chicken soup my dad made one time...).

Luners: Silvery, taste sweet with a hint of mint, and other, unidentifiable herbs. Like raw meat ( of any sort), disgusted by people who burn their food before eating it. Believe the concept of love is part of the corrupting influence of civilization. Make full use of limitless potential of shapeshifting powers. I will demur, for completely understandible reasons, from going beyond White Wolf's vauge hints on the matter, and only point out that beastmen have to come from somewhere.

Sidreal: Come in 5 different colors and associated flavors: red, blue, green, violet, and yellow, the flavors are mysterious and unplaceable, but strangely satisfying. They also have three different tints that are associated with trace flavors: gold and butterscotch, silver and mint, and bronze and a slight fruity taste. Most either eat monastic food, or whatever was fated to be eaten by them by the vast weave of destiny. Appriciate the beauty of dramatic, emotional romances, preferably ones they scripted five years in advance. On the other hand, the fact that most mortals forget them in less than a day can be quite handy. There are some unique ones, like Chejop, who most enjoy romances with the reincarnations of their defeated idealogical enemies. For any of the players in my campaign: This entry does not exist. There are no such things as Sidreals, there never were, these words do not exist.

Terrestrials: Come in 5 different flavors: Blueberry, Strawberry, Lime, Coconut, and Blackberry. As they are also called Dragon-Blooded, some taste oddly of shrimp. Only one, so far, has had a different taste, and she tasted like blood. Prefer rich decadent foods. Haven't quite caught up with the elder Solars when it comes to depravity, but its not from lack of trying, or ingenuity.

Immaculates: Have the same flavors as the Terrestrials, but the taste of shrimp is much stronger. Consider people who need more than a grain of rice a day to survive to be weak. Can't stand the taste of butterscotch. Would never dream of indulging in the pleasures of the body.

Abyssals: Taste like licorice, or really bad butterscotch. Can only draw sustinance from the flesh and blood of living mortals. Tastes range from doomed romantic affairs to those of the elder Solars, but with necromancy (we will stop right there, trust me, its for your sanity).

Fair Folk: Every one tastes different. Live on the dreams and emotions of mortals. Lack of a concept of time makes it difficult to describe their relationships with others.

Malfeans: They're kinda dead now, by definition. So they can't really do much. Pretty tasteless too.

Yozis: Taste overcooked. Enjoy consuming the souls of others. Favorite pick up line: Nice Essence, wanna have sex?

Celestial Incarnae: Too busy with the Games of Divinity to bothered.

Keep in mind that your specific exalt may vary greatly from the standerds stated here. For example, I once knew a Sidreal who tasted like blueberrys and had a hot affair with a Peleps family Dragon-Blooded who tasted a bit salty, although the Sidreal's taste may have been acquired through powerful astrology.

Join me next time for the Flavors and Tastes of the Great Clans, a 5 Rings special.

The Iron Crane march to War

2004-09-29T17:09:00.000-05:00

I'll comment on how I did later.

Antoine expressed interest in reading about the life of Pechorin. We shall see if he actually likes this book or if this becomes another Three Kingdoms for him.

My dad said I should read War & Peace. Or, The Cossacks if I don't have enough time. I'll be reading The Cossacks. Cossacks are cool anyways.

Pechorin, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin

2004-09-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

A Hero of Our Time. Can't say much about 19th Century Russian literature as a whole, but Mikhail Lermontov writes a pretty good novel. Pitty he died in a duel at the age of 27. A Hero of Our Time is a bit auto-biographical, for example Lermontov served in the Russian cavalry in the same places that his hero Pechorin does. As well as being cynical, and having interesting characters the book gives us a view of Russian colonialism in central Asia, something that is often neglected in history classes. In some ways the way the Russians interacted with the Gerogians, Chechens, Ossetes, and Circassins seems remnisicant of the way the US interacted with Native American tribes.

A great line: "I still love her... I'd give my life for her. But she bores me."

An Interesiting Idea

2004-09-22T17:40:00.001-05:00

This will have to be quick as I leave to get the shit beaten out of my Mantis in a few minutes.

This struck me while I was listening to som pundit debate health care plans on NPR (which, btw is the only radio preset in my (dad's) car). Suppose a future in which nation-states compete for talented citizens, in the way that companies and colleges do now. You could have situations like "Well, America has a good tax rate, but Canada offers health care." Or it could get even more extreme with nations paying talented citizens to live in their countries. This might not actually be all that out there if we take a view of the decrease in the importance of ethnic and national loyalties.

An Interesiting Idea

2004-09-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

Tom Ridge Makes History

2004-09-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

Go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/iss0904/tomridgemakeshistory0904.html

And yes, I am too damn lazy to link it.

Stories to tell your children, or how I fended off a bat with a jingasa and some bamboo

2004-09-10T17:42:00.000-05:00

A few minutes ago, not more than 15 or so, I was distracted by the flap of leathery wings. I looked up to realize that a bat was flying around in my room. Knowing that bats sometimes carry rabies I felt a rush of adrenaline, but still had the calmness of mind to pause my game of Total Annihilation before deciding what course of action to take. After leaning back in my desk chair and watching the bat fly several frantic rings around the ceiling of my room, I figured that the bat was not really interested in attacking me and was probably just very confused. In any case I decided that the bat must be removed, if not in the interest of preventing the spread of nasty diseases then in the interest of keeping the local mosquito population down. First I decided that were I to have any hope of retuning the bat to a more natural environment I would have to be able to control its movements. So, without hesitation I closed the door of my room. Then I went over to my windows, only to realize that I had no way of removing the screen from the inside. This meant that the only way, barring quantum tunneling, that I could remove the bat was through the front door. So I went out and closed all the doors that would allow the bat movement into more difficult regions of the house. Upon returning to my room, I decided that I would need something to herd the bat in the direction I wanted it to go. The only things of a favorable size and shape within easy reach were my jingasa and a bundle of bamboo. By this time, however, the bat had ceased its futile circling and had grabbed onto the top of the jellyfish that hangs from my room lights. After trying to startle it off by turning the light on and off I resolved that the only way to make it budge was to whack it with my bamboo. I did so sending it back to its mad circleing. This time, however, I was ready with my jingasa and I successfully herded it out of my room, through the hallway, and into the living room, closing the doors behind me. Here I was faced with a problem, the living room was wide enough that the bat could maneuver and evade the swings of my jingasa. After trying several different ideas futilely, I saw nothing else that I could do. I whacked the bat with my jingasa, stunning it so that it grabbed onto the straw hat. With a flick of my wrist I sent the jingasa, and the bat clinging to it out through the propped open door onto the porch and slammed the door shut with a feeling of satisfaction.

And lo!

2004-09-07T20:28:00.000-05:00

Sure as the rising of the sun, relentless as the endless march of the years, powerful as a brand new G5, and as invunerable as Krogoth the waves that we call homework have bashed themselves upon the beach that is me. Yet I shall not be overrun and sweapt out to sea as but a cloud of sediment. I shall stand firm and allow the waves to erode my large, rough, uncomfortable to the bare foot rocks, leaveing me more consisting of warm, pleasent, refined sand than I am now.

The Eastern Horizon Lightens

2004-09-02T16:51:00.001-05:00

For those of you who care (not many, but anyway) I just pre-ordered Dawn of the Empire. Later this month, the cards that will shape the Diamond and Lotus enviornments and form the core of all the decks I construct for them will arrive. Don't worry Kachiko, I still love you, it's just that I also love Lady Doji.

Power Corrupts

2004-08-31T18:15:00.000-05:00

Strategy games, especially good ones, have the power to transform their players (at least temporarialy). I have found myself, a usually quite humanitarian person, or so I like to consider myself, taking great joy in such things as the starvation of blockaded enemy planets, the execution of captured enemies, and the deployment of WMD against civilian targets. There's just something about knowing that at any moment I could switch to the economy control pannel and declare a Holy War, scrapping all my current development projects and replacing them with the latest brand of nuclear missile loaded killing machines produced with 2/3 of my Empires total income and industiral potential (beat that, Bush). There's more to this than the action game "look at how big an explosion that building made." There's little or no eye candy reward for the horrible deaths of millions of Ithkul civilians from starvation and the random bombardment of my war-fleets. Part of it is definetly the desire to roleplay the Nommo Grand Priest of the Holy War that I am in the game, but it still leads us to ask ourselves how we would really act if we had absolute power over the lives of millions.

Hero: Not Rashoman and not Three Kingdoms

2004-08-29T21:45:00.000-05:00

Fortunately there's more to the world than Rashoman and Three Kingdoms.

If you have not yet seen Hero, go see it now. Then come back and comment your thoughts.

A new Dawn, and other stuff...

2004-08-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

Watch out, I could become Shosuro at any moment, or Doji Konishiko if I feel Craney at the moment. What would Kachiko think? I mean, if I became Shosuro, me and Kachiko would have to fight a duel for Bayushi's love ("There can be only one Bride of Bayushi"). Oh, well considering that both of those are both Diamond and Lotus legal (and considering a certain Harrier (PH 4!) is NOT unique, as well as the mere existance of a card for everyone's favorite Emerald Champion and everyone's favorite traitor), "no regrets," as Kachiko would say. (Of course Akodo, and that bitch Matsu get cards (Kakita only gave her what she deserved), but Doji could take 'em both (actually, her husband could too, and he's not a Kami). AND we get a card with the Nothing trait.) Oh, and I need to give myself the Loyal trait.

For the L5R illiterate, I guess I should post some less out there stuff.

School starts in less than a week and I have mixed feelings. On one hand I am mostly in classes I chose to take, and Calc. 2 shouldn't be too hard. On the other, I feel like I haven't really completed any of the goals I set for the summer. Abraham Rabinowitz goes uninvestigated, and I feel like I should have worked harder. No one really seems to find fault with my laziness, though, so that helps my guilt a little.

On politics, I want to believe that Kerry is the wonderful savior that will restore America to how it should be, at home and abroad. Of course, Kerry has not shown that he retains the idealism that propeled him to oppose 'Nam after fighting there, and its not clear that he can manage to even begin to fix the mess Bush has made. He is definetly better than Bush, but is he really the best? How was he on the Daily show, would seeing him there reinforce or dispell my fears?

On other matters politic, "what are you thinking, Ralph?" My respect for Nader would grow if he would denounce the Republician signatures used to get him on ballots. Sure it's fine to force the Dems to be more left, but is it right to become a Neocon tool to do it? Dosn't Nader, or at least the Left, stand for honesty in politics? Isn't this manuvering exactly what he should oppose?

For something completely different, Hero is out soon! Jet Li, armies, crazy flying sword fighting, emperors, assassins, volleys of arrows, dramatic colors, and sex, could we ask for more?

Zatoichi is out soon, too. We'll see if it captures the air of the the first movies or the air of the 1980 horror (Ok, so Zatoichi won some money gambling, he's walking home, is attacked by thugs, kills em all with a behead em all slash (nothing like the wonderful swordplay and stylised violence of 1 and 2), then a woman walks up and they go to a bath and have sex, I won't go on).

Lithuania beat the US team is basketball!

For those poor misguided fools...

2004-08-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

... who read my blog, but do not check their e-mail regularly.

The party will be at my house on Tuesday at 5, deis volente.

I'm back! Again!

2004-08-21T22:47:00.000-05:00

Well although it was just a week, it seemed longer (it was so long, in fact, that blogger.com had forgotten my login and I had to actually login useing my username and password!).

I'm back now, if that means anything to you.

If it works out I do hope to have a party at my house this week, see previous entry.

By the way, where were the dancing girls?

Kachiko is still stalking me.

Party at Kyuden Abe

2004-08-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

Or Party Apud Abem for the Romans among you. (I still know Latin!)

When I get back, so anytime Sunday on, I'll try not to abandon anyone, but people who read my blog have more weighting when it comes to determining the date. It will probably involve a sleepover for the male members of the group (physically, not socially, sorry Ariel). Tell everyone who dosn't read this blog about it too, or don't if you don't want to.

By the way, Kachiko is stalking me.

Listening to Bob Harris

2004-08-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

Good, good, good. Honest, though, that's our problem.

Honestly states that there is basically nothing the Bush administration could do that he would not find suspicious. The right could attack him for that.

On a better note. I spent all my money today! (I won't tell you what on, you'll never guess.)

Untill I get that 300-400 from an, as yet, unnanounced source, I'm completely broke. I blame ninjas.

Grab your M.W.S and power up your A.W.G.S.

2004-08-17T00:44:00.000-05:00

Xenosaga II is official for US in Febuary.

Serenading the Other Gods with Bagpipes while Dancing on the Head of a Flaming Pin

2004-08-15T22:10:00.000-05:00

Actually, the title has absolutely no relation to anything you might find in this post.

So, anyway, I am now in North Carolina. I am now, officially, in the South. I should say something profound about that.

Finished my summer reading. Take that, you slakers.

You know, I don't really have anything to say. I just felt like posting.

On consideration, I actually kindof prefer laptop keyboards. But maybe that's just because I use them all the time. (I'm typing on a new iMac now.)

My glorious return should be late on Saturday. If you feel like arranging a massive welcoming party with decadent food and dancing girls, please say so and I'll give you my ETA. If not, why should I bother coming back?

I should end up $300-$400 richer by then. I won't tell you how, though.

Interesting thoughts about my great-great uncle, the one who died at Everett (Abe Rabinowitz). My family denies that he was a Wobblie, out of shame, maybe? IWW says he was and died singing "The Red Flag." Says something 'bout Jews never having a flag, so will you deny this one one in death. Propaganda, maybe? Abe may have been there as journalist. For the Foward (yiddish, socialist paper), maybe? Did he really have an IWW id card, or did 'his' one show up after he died. If he didn't how would IWW find his real name, assuming he was traveling under a fake one (which he may have been). There's a personal essay about search for historical truth in here.

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

Away, away...

2004-08-15T00:25:00.000-05:00

... my heart's on fire,
This base deception burning to repay,
This very night,
My vengance dire,
Shall glut itself in gore,
Away, away!
- Pirates of Penzance

Well just the first part, but as I have previously warned, I am scheduled to vanish for this next week and return tired, but signifigently richer (assuming I return at all, which is always in doubt, on the other hand I have been burning insence to Guan Yu for luck and it has been working so far, I won my last 3 games of L5R, even going so far to pump the mighty Hida Kuon full of arrows with Tsuruchi Takasu, Tsuruchi Hunters, and a bit of Tsuruchi 'magic' [new flavor text for the Hunters "This is not the one we're looking for. This is the best warrior in the Empire and the champion of the mighty Crab Clan, who, every day, risk their lives to keep us safe from the unspeakable horrors of the Shadowlands. Kill him anyway."], all delivered from the deck of The Deathless [there were also elite spearmen in the unit and I needed to be naval to avoid Tani Hitokage's thrice damned duel of force]. Bow control is not using more than five arrows at once, but I ramble.).

I should have web access at my undisclosed (for reasons of State Security) location (which may or may not be the same location as Kachiko), so I should continue to post, assuming anything interesting happens.

On Summer Reading. Portriat had some interesting parts, but otherwise seemed to drag. It was interesting to get a look into the inside of the Catholic Church. Not much of an ending. The style, and the development thereof was indeed interesting, but not all that easy to read. Invisible Man has some good parts, but seems to drag a bit in others. I dislike the fact that no white people appear as positive characters (or remain as them for long), as, well, I should hope that it is possible for me to be viewed as, at least, a decent person, if not much more, by African-Americans, something the book does not provide much hope for. Of course, I haven't finished it so, well, we'll see.

On music. Any movie I make will have "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi" from Carmina Burana as a theme, probably for climactic fight/battle scenes.

On rain. Wounderful dramatic and emotional effect. Will use in any movie I make.

On the time. It is late.

On jingasas. Good hats. Look cool.

On the eating of human hearts. Always remember to splash the victim's chest with cold water before extracting the heart. It makes it crispy and improves the flavor. But, also, always make sure that the victim is not someone of great renown in the Fraternity of Galant Men first, like, say, Song Jiang.

But alas now I must go, I've got places to go, people to meet, and much anime to watch before I sleep.

Read this

2004-08-12T11:53:00.000-05:00

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040317/325/eotq9.html

Especially the last part.

I'm Back, More or Less

2004-08-12T10:50:00.000-05:00

I know I said that I'd post last night, but I got in at 2 after 15 hours of transit and I decided that my sleep was more important than posting my observations (selfish, arn't I).

Well, I'm back from Canada, back in a country where you make sure cars are going to stop before stepping onto crosswalks (in Canada even SUVs would stop), back in a country where you go through customs and then security and only make it to your flight because it was delayed, back in a country that elected Bush.

Not much has changed, except now there's a statue of a diefied Chinese hero on my desk next to the Greek revolutionary, and my internet was down for a few hours this morning

If you want to know details about my trip, ask me at the party Nate IS going to hold before I flee the state again on Sunday.

Random side note, all the other people on the kayaking trip hated Bush. I'd say this is a really good sign, but then they were all from strongly Democratic states, Canada, the UK, or the Netherlands (which by the way, has a legal minimum of 6 weeks vacation time for, as I understand, ALL jobs), so its not really news.

I still love Kachiko!

2004-08-11T00:49:00.000-05:00

This is just me saying that I'm still here, I haven't been swallowed by the fearsome nation of Canada. My lack of activity the last few days has been because I was out kayaking on Johnstone Strait for the last several days (great fun, by the way) and they don't have wireless several hundred kilometers from civilization.

Right now I'm posting in a hotel in Campell River, BC (British Colombia for you ignorant Americans), and the wireless here is very weak. I spent my first 30 min. online trying to check the new L5R Wrath of the Emperor previews (which, of course, tells you that that card game means more to me than you do), then an hour trying to get headlines from the New York Times website (which of course tells you that world events mean more to me than you do, but not more to me than L5R, especially with Do Not Dely the Inevitable), several minutes checking a web combic (you can fill in the sarcastic comment yourselves), and now I just got around to posting here (and telling you where you rank in my priorities).

It is late and I have to get going early tomorrow. I probably post something more complete about my trip when I get home, if I get home. See you then.

Life with an Atmospheric Scientist

2004-08-05T01:54:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was treated to dinner that was provided by the meeting my dad is attending. This was a most interesting experience. The dinner was at Royal Roads College, which's main feature is a castle. We sat between two Brits, across from two Frenchmen, and at the same table as two Germans (I think), and someone from elsewhere in Europe. A German and a Russian stood outside smoking. After dinner music was provided by a bad rock band composed of middle aged Canadians. Not only the grey-haired, respected, Japanese atmospheric scientist sitting at the next table, but also his two female grad students (who happened to be dressed in kimonos) danced.

A word on scientist conversations, as I have observed many over the last few days and they all seem to follow a set pattern. First the two scientists will introduce themselves. Then they will work out their connection to each other ("So you were Jim's student before I arrived?"). Then one will ask some very specific question about the others work, completely abandoning anyone else trying to follow the conversation as they lunge into a morass of technical terms.

Still more from Canadia

2004-08-03T00:02:00.000-05:00

So far Canada is the only place I've been where one can buy a statue of Guan Yu (Chinese hero) and then walk five blocks and hear a street performer playing Scotland the Brave on the pipes.

Happy BC Day

2004-08-02T00:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, today (or yesterday for you now) is British Columbia Day, enjoy it.

Anyway, an amusing anecdote. To get dinner tonight I had to mix with atmospheric scientists (and they are a frightening lot) to slip into the Empress Hotel and partake of the buffet. There was, however, a shortage of chairs and tables. Thus, one could see extremely respected professors from all around the world sitting on the floor. It was quite a sight. It seems odd that they would invite all these people and neglect the matter of seating.

Under the Red Maple Leaf

2004-07-31T23:10:00.000-05:00

Well here I am, posting from Canada (more specifically in Victoria), using the AirPort on my dad's laptop. I might be posting from the Seattle Airport, also using AirPort, but they were charging $7! $7! for it and our flight was boarding in 10 minutes anyway. But now I'm in Canada. Not much is really different. Although you can buy Cuban cigars here.

I'll come up with some more stuff after I've watched some Canadian News TV (looks good though), slept in a Canadian bed, and breathed Canadian air for a whole day.

Exiled to a Distant Land...

2004-07-30T18:03:00.000-05:00

Starting tomorrow I shall be forced to journy though a foreign land surrounded by trackless wastes. I shall live amoung strange people with strange customs and strange forms of government (especially concerning healthcare...). I shall be in a place that can only be described as the Land that God gave Cain! That is right, (gasp) I shall be in Canada!

If I run out of stuff to do, I'll probably post some observations, probably dramatically exaggerated for comic effect. Our hotel should, should, have internet.

The Joys of RPGs

2004-07-27T00:59:00.000-05:00

As far as I know the RPG Exalted is the only RPG in which one can play a gunslinging courtier who, while imprisoned by his mother, an insane mage, and a renegade monk for the fact that he is a reincarnated god, composes an epic poem about tragedy and betrayal and writes it on the walls of his cell, in blood. He composed music too, but he couldn't play it, his hands being bound by White Jade Shackles. Yeah, and he wanders around with a shapeshifting, blood-drinking demon bodyguard, who protects him from the ninjas sent after them by the sinister lord of a massive trading cartel known only as the Guild. He has also dabbled in bandit hunting, diplomancy, illeagal arms sales, and impersonating a god (that one worked great!). And basic zombies will kick the (explitive) out of you because they JUST WON'T DIE!

And despite all that craziness, the setting holds together and presents an interesting world. Three cheers for White Wolf.

2004-07-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

I was going to post something deeply insightful about arbitrary meanings, but it's late and I need to get up before noon tomorrow, so ponder it yourself.

Go here

2004-07-22T15:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.thismodernworld.com/foxtap.jpg

Enjoy.

Changing Times in America

2004-07-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

I have noticed, lately, an interesting shift in the content of my hotmail junk mail. Instead of recieveing e-mails advertising porn sites, I am now recieveing e-mails telling me about hot buy stocks. Could this mean that lust for money has finally overcome lust for sex in American culture?

But being someone who is "more interested in martial arts then sex" (from Outlaws, though I'm not quite a Song Jiang), I'm waiting to get junkmail from 5h1j1n@outlaws.com about HO*T CR3SC3NT H4LB3RD L*U B*U 4CT10N!!!! FR33!!!

I take deep offence!

2004-07-11T23:16:00.000-05:00

At an article remarking on the 200th aniversery of Burr killing Hamilton. The article talked mostly about Hamilton and said basically nothing about Burr or the events leading to the duel.

It ignored the fact that Burr was only pushed into calling for a duel by the arrogent position Hamilton took in their corrispondence. It also claims that Hamilton missed on purpose, something I have seen no evidence of elsewhere and something I very much doubt Hamilton would do. In this view it also fails to consider the incredible innaccuracy of the weapons they were using in the duel.

It does a good job of describing the period, but forgets that Burr doing the killing is just as important as Hamilton being killed.

Random stuff

2004-07-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

Go to
www.kerrypicksedwards.com, for the GOP's smear attack.

Actually, you can get to the same site by going to www.kerrypicksgephardt.com, www.kerrypicksvilsack.com, www.kerrypicksbayh.com, or www.kerrypicksclark.com.